Mumbai Indians Secure First Victory in IPL 2025
Mumbai Indians (MI) claimed their first win of the TATA IPL 2025 season with a dominant 8-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium. Debutant Ashwani Kumar starred with the ball, taking 4 wickets for 24 runs, while Ryan Rickelton’s unbeaten 62 off 41 balls guided MI to chase down the 117-run target in just 12.5 overs.
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KKR’s Batting Collapse After Losing the Toss
MI captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to field first, a decision that proved beneficial.
- Trent Boult struck early, dismissing Sunil Narine for a duck in the first over.
- Deepak Chahar followed up, removing Quinton de Kock, leaving KKR at 2 wickets down within 2 overs.
- Ashwani Kumar’s IPL debut was remarkable, as he dismissed Ajinkya Rahane with his very first ball.
- By the end of the powerplay, KKR were struggling at 41/4.
Despite brief resistance from Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh, MI bowlers continued their dominance:
- Hardik Pandya dismissed Raghuvanshi with a sharp bouncer.
- Ashwani Kumar removed both Rinku Singh and Manish Pandey in the 11th over.
- Andre Russell was bowled out by Ashwani Kumar, sealing KKR’s collapse.
KKR were all-out for just 116 runs in 16.2 overs, with Ashwani Kumar finishing with 4/24- the second-best debut figures for an MI bowler in IPL history.
MI’s Comfortable Chase Led by Rickelton
Chasing 117, MI openers Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma built a solid 46-run partnership.
- Andre Russell provided KKR with a breakthrough, dismissing Rohit Sharma.
- Rickelton continued his aggressive play, smashing back-to-back sixes off Narine to reach his maiden IPL fifty.
- Suryakumar Yadav finished the chase in style, scoring 27 runs off just 9 balls and hitting the winning shot—a spectacular six over the keeper’s head.
MI reached 121/2 in just 12.5 overs, securing their first win of the season in emphatic fashion.
IPL 2025 Points Table Update
- Mumbai Indians moved from 10th to 6th place with this win, significantly boosting their Net Run Rate.
- KKR dropped to the bottom of the table, highlighting their struggles in IPL 2025 so far.
Mumbai Indians’ clinical performance with both bat and ball ensured an easy win over Kolkata Knight Riders. Ashwani Kumar’s dream debut and Rickelton’s batting heroics set the stage for MI’s strong comeback in IPL 2025. KKR, on the other hand, will need to regroup quickly to stay competitive in the tournament.