Ashwani Kumar, born on August 29, 2001, in Mohali, began his competitive cricket journey for Punjab during the 2019-20 edition of India’s prestigious first-class tournament, the Ranji Trophy. The left-arm fast bowler had to wait an additional two years to receive his maiden List A cap and another year to make his T20 debut for Punjab in the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Kumar’s hard work and perseverance eventually paid off during the 2024 edition of Punjab’s elite T20 competition, the Sher-E-Punjab T20 Cup, where he picked up 11 wickets in just six matches at an average of 21.27. 

He delivered the performance in his first appearance of the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy season against Arunachal Pradesh in Ahmedabad. 

His spell set up Punjab’s emphatic nine-wicket victory and justified the faith of the Mumbai Indians franchise owners, who had shelled out some big bucks on him a month earlier in Jeddah.

Ashwani Kumar IPL Career

Ashwani Kumar grabbed everyone’s attention with a historic IPL debut in 2025 against the Kolkata Knight Riders. He became the first Indian bowler to claim a four-wicket haul on debut (4/24), stunning the cricketing world by taking a wicket with his very first delivery.

Throughout his debut year for the Mumbai Indians, he proved to be a consistent threat, claiming 11 wickets in just seven innings and establishing himself as a reliable death-overs specialist. 

After the exploits in his maiden IPL season, Kumar was retained by the five-time champions for INR 30 Lakh.

(As of April 2026)