“Credit to our scouts”: Captain Hardik Pandya lauds MI talent hunters for spotting Ashwani Kumar

on

It was all praises from Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya for young MI pacer Ashwani Kumar, who completely dominated the Wankhede Stadium. Playing his debut IPL game against Kolkata Knight Riders, the left-arm fast bowler made an immediate impact by dismissing KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane on the very first delivery of his IPL career. He then went on to take down danger men Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, and Manish Pandey, delivering a remarkable bowling performance that played a crucial role in MI’s success.

Mumbai registered their first win in IPL 2025, chasing down a target of 116 runs in just under 13 overs. His figures of 4 for 24 helped bundle out KKR for a mere 116 runs in 16.2 overs, setting a solid foundation for Mumbai’s victory.

Who is Ashwani Kumar

Ashwani, who made his debut for Punjab in the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, played four matches and took three wickets at an economy rate of 8.50. His standout performance in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 tournament, where he recorded his best figures of 4/36 for BLV Blasters, earned him significant attention from the Mumbai Indians scouts.

Thanks to the MI Scouts!

From time to time, we have seen how MI scouts discover impressive talent and push them into the IPL. We saw how Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Krunal Pandya all caught the attention of the scouts and then received the opportunities they deserved. Recently, we saw how Vignesh Puthur grabbed the spotlight, and now Ashwini Kumar is doing the same. This highlights the role of Mumbai Indians’ scouts. Captain Pandya himself mentioned how big a role they play in this.

“Very satisfying to win, especially at home. The way we did it, as a group, everyone chipped in – can’t be happier. It’s always a challenge of picking one guy here and there. With our team it’s pretty sorted with the players who we are backing. This wicket just offered a bit more and we thought Ashwani can come in and bowl the way he bowled.

First of all, it’s all because of the scouts. All MI scouts have gone all the places and picked these young kids. We played a practice game and it looked like he had that zip and late swing, had a different action and plus he is a leftie. The way he took that wicket of Russell was a very crucial wicket. And especially, how he started with that catch of Quinton. Was great to see a fast bowler jumping that high. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a great sign for everyone to chip in and kick of the tournament for us”.

The post “Credit to our scouts”: Captain Hardik Pandya lauds MI talent hunters for spotting Ashwani Kumar appeared first on Inside Sport India.



from feed - Inside Sport India https://ift.tt/4XzTxZW

Comments

Post a Comment