Mahela Jayawardene, the head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI), lauded Ashwani Kumar for his impressive performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Kumar has claimed nine wickets in six matches, at an average of 19.66. In the Eliminator against Gujarat Titans (GT), he delivered figures of 1/28 from 3.3 overs, including the key dismissal of Shahrukh Khan.

The 23-year-old fast bowler made his IPL debut this season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where he took 4 wickets for 24 runs in just three overs, earning the Player of the Match award. Jayawardene has expressed admiration for Kumar’s ability to rise to any challenge.

“Ashwani is a fantastic talent. This season, he’s dealt with every challenge we’ve given him incredibly well. Although he hasn’t played a lot of domestic cricket, his skill was evident from the moment we saw him. We’ve kept things simple for him to avoid any confusion, and he’s received strong support from Boom (Bumrah), Deepak, and Hardik. What really matters is executing under pressure, and he’s done that excellently,” Jayawardene said.

“We use him strategically based on the opposition, and he’s learning. This is just the start, there’s much more to come from Ashwani, and we’re fully committed to developing him in the right way,” he added.

In another match against GT, Kumar took 2/28, but MI lost the match. However, Mumbai Indians triumphed over GT in the Eliminator, winning by 20 runs. Mumbai Indians posted 228/5 in their allotted 20 overs after opting to bat first, with Rohit Sharma scoring 81 from 50 balls.

GT were limited to 208/6, which resulted in their elimination from the competition. MI will now take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2 on June 1.