Exclusive: Ashwani Kumar Trained by Bowling 15 Overs Daily for IPL 2025, Says Coach

Punjab is experiencing a golden generation in cricket, featuring India internationals Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Arshdeep Singh, along with rising stars Mayank Markande, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Gurnoor Brar, and Naman Dhir.

Now, left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar from Mohali has joined the list. He debuted for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders and became the first Indian bowler to pick up four wickets in his maiden appearance. 

The 23-year-old displayed tremendous skill with length balls and set up the batters like a smooth operator.

He packed up big guns Andre Russell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, and Ajinkya Rahane — a first-ball wicket — to return 4/24 in three overs to win the man of the match award in his team's eight-wicket victory.

The man behind Ashwani's rise

Ashwani made his Ranji Trophy debut at the age of 18 but a hamstring injury paused his career. He returned after two seasons to play only one Ranji and a Vijay Hazare Trophy match.

Joining the Launching Pad Cricket Academy in 2023 amid the stop-start domestic career turned the tide. The youngster played a few games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali and Hazare tournament last season, before catching the attention of the Mumbai Indians scouts in the hyperlocal Sher-E-Punjab T20 Cup.

Cricket coach Varinder Singh, the owner of Launching Pad Cricket Academy, worked on Ashwani's action and swing before the IPL. The boy, with only two first-class matches, four List A games, and five T20s, had not picked up more than three wickets in any game earlier. 

"Before coming to me, he would train at the association ground in Mohali outside the main PCA ground. The coaches would change every year. He was a talented boy, but he struggled with line and length."

"I worked one-on-one with him for the IPL. I wanted to correct his wrist position and help swing the ball. His release was such that the ball would go straight. I told him the need to develop the art of getting the ball into the right-hander. I also worked on his strength and conditioning. We had a proper schedule," he told Sportsboom.com. 

Singh erased all fears in young Ashwani by advising him to not think about the opponent batter while bowling in the high-pressure league. 

"If a fast bowler keeps thinking about the batter, the confidence would be low. As long as the ball swings, all batters would struggle. One should land the ball in the right area," added Singh, who also trains Ramandeep and Gurnoor.

Ashwani's 15-over sessions

Singh rated Ashwani high as he likes to train harder than his peers. 

"Today’s kids run after workload management. They want to bowl five overs one day, and six the next day. Ashwani isn't satisfied with limited training. He likes to bowl at least 15 overs daily. This is what makes him different. He has the hunger, and he will give you 140-143 clicks consistently. We keep checking the speed gun of all fast bowlers," he said.

Among all Ashwani dismissals, Singh praised the scrambled seam delivery that pin-balled off Pandey's pads to kiss the leg stump. 

"That was a good ball as the ball went in. In our sessions, I used to tell him to hit the top of off after landing the ball on the fourth stump. We would keep doing this for eight to 12 to 15 overs. The idea was to get batters out while they defended. It is easier to pick wickets when someone is attacking. I wanted to train him in such a way that he maintains parity with Trent Boult," revealed the coach.

Ashwani is likely to appear regularly in the IPL after the mirror-cracking debut, and he could be a potential backup pacer for Arshdeep in the Indian team in the future.