GT vs MI: Ashwani Kumar rips through Gujarat Titans as MI win by 99 runs in IPL 2026
GT vs MI: Mumbai Indians defeated Gujarat Titans by 99 runs in IPL 2026 Match 30 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, April 20, 2026, and Ashwani Kumar led the bowling charge with a brilliant four-wicket haul. He picked up four wickets while conceding just 24 runs from his four overs, removing Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, and Shahrukh Khan. For a bowler earning just ₹30 lakh for the season, that translates to roughly ₹2.14 lakh per match, arguably the best value deal in this year’s tournament.
From Jhanjeri to the IPL spotlight
Born on August 29, 2001, in the village of Jhanjeri, Punjab, Ashwani Kumar is a left-arm fast-medium bowler who generates extra bounce with natural late swing, complemented by a sharp yorker and a deceptive back-of-the-hand slower ball.
He made his first-class debut on 9 December 2019 for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy, and his List A debut followed in December 2021 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He came into serious limelight through the Sher-e-Punjab T20 tournament, representing BLV Blasters, where his best figures of 4/36 caught the attention of IPL scouts. MI then secured him at his base price of ₹30 lakh at the 2025 mega auction, and he retained that deal heading into 2026.
The debut that rewrote IPL history books
Ashwani Kumar’s IPL debut in 2025 against KKR at the Wankhede Stadium produced figures of 4/24; he dismissed Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell, becoming the first Indian bowler to register a four-wicket haul on his IPL debut.
He dismissed Rahane off his very first delivery in the IPL, becoming the fourth MI bowler to take a wicket off the opening ball of their career in the tournament. Across seven IPL matches to date, he has claimed 11 wickets in total, with that historic 4/24 remaining his standout performance heading into this year’s campaign.
Against Gujarat in GT vs MI on April 20, he reprised that very magic. The defining moments of MI’s bowling innings included Ashwani Kumar systematically dismantling the middle and lower order as GT’s chase never found momentum after Jasprit Bumrah struck early. GT finished bowled out for just 100, handing MI their second win of IPL 2026. Ashwani Kumar once again proved that in GT vs MI contests, he carries an extraordinary ability to tilt the match entirely on its head.
