In the IPL 2026 clash, the Mumbai Indians defeated the Gujarat Titans by 99 runs, ending a four-match losing streak. Left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar was the star, taking a match-winning 4/24 in his first game of the season, while Tilak Varma scored an unbeaten 101.
Mumbai Indians (MI) left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar delivered a match-winning spell in the IPL 2026 clash against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, April 20. The five-time IPL champions ended a four-match losing streak with a dominant 99-run win over the 2022 winner.
After posting a solid total of 199/5 in 20 overs on the boards, thanks to Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 45-ball 101, the Mumbai Indians bundled out the Gujarat Titans for just 100 in 15.5 overs. Washington Sundar (26), Shahrukh Khan (17), Shubman Gill (14), and Kagiso Rabada (12) registered double-digit scores, as other batters failed to make any significant impact.
Ashwani Kumar led the MI bowling attack with figures of 4/24 at an economy rate of 6.00 in his spell of four overs. Mitchell Starc (2/16) and AM Ghazanfar (2/17) picked two wickets each, while Jasprit Bumrah (1/15) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/18) also chipped in with crucial breakthroughs, ensuring Gujarat never recovered from the early blows and were eventually bowled out well short of the target.
Also Read: IPL 2026: Hardik Pandya lauds Tilak Varma’s ‘much needed’ century
Ashwani Kumar Shines On His Maiden IPL 2026 Outing
Jasprit Bumrah might’ve ended his five-match wicketless streak by taking a wicket of Sai Sudharsan on the first ball of the opening over, but Ashwani Kumar quickly took over the spotlight, striking at key moments with sharp movement and disciplined lines to dismantle the Gujarat Titans’ top and middle order.
Bringing into the attack in the fifth over, Ashwani struck his maiden wicket of the season by dismissing GT skipper Shubman Gill on the penultimate delivery of the over, triggering a collapse in the visitors’ batting line-up. Thereafter, the left-arm pacer returned to bowling in the 11th over and removed Rahul Tewatia (8) after conceding a wide on the final delivery.
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In the 13th over of the Gujarat Titans’ run chase, Ashwani Kumar further tightened MI’s grip on the game by dismissing Rashid Khan (4) and Shahrukh Khan, leaving the Gujarat Titans reeling at 86/8 in 13 overs and needing 114 runs from just 42 balls, effectively ending any hopes of a comeback.
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With a four-wicket haul in his first outing of the IPL 2026, Ashwani Kumar’s bowling spell drew attention for its striking similarity to his IPL 2025 debut, where he had also made an immediate impact with a match-turning 4-wicket haul, once again delivering in his very first game of the season for the Mumbai Indians.
‘GT made Ashwani Kumar Look Like Prime Mitchell Starc’
Ashwani Kumar’s impressive bowling in his maiden IPL 2026 outing, especially when the Mumbai Indians were looking to make a strong comeback after a four-match losing streak, drew massive praise and applause on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), with fans and cricket enthusiasts noting that he once again made an instant impact, echoing his similar breakout debut and quickly becoming a talking point for MI’s pace attack.
Taking to their X handles, fans and cricket enthusiasts lauded Ashwani’s immediate impact, with several calling him MI’s biggest bowling upgrade, praising his consistency in delivering match-turning spells right from his first game of the season and highlighting his rapid rise as a key pace weapon.
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Ashwani Kumar had a breakthrough debut IPL season last year, picking 11 wickets, including a four-wicket haul, at an average of 21.09 and an economy rate of 11.31 in seven matches. In his first match of the IPL 2026, the 24-year-old continued the habit of making an immediate impact, repeating his IPL 2025 debut pattern of striking big in his very first outing of the season for the Mumbai Indians.
Ashwani Kumar, who plays for Punjab in domestic cricket, was bought by the Mumbai Indians for INR 30 lakhs as an uncapped Indian player at the IPL 2026 Mega Auction, a bargain buy that is already paying off with back-to-back season-opening impact performances.
Also Read: IPL 2026: Conceded too many runs in middle overs, says Shubman Gill