Amidst rohit sharma

Amidst Rohit Sharma: Amidst Rohit Sharma’s 81 and Jasprit Bumrah’s 1-27 being the standout performances in Mumbai Indians’ beating Gujarat Titans’ by 20 runs in the IPL 2025 Eliminator, uncapped pacer Ashwani Kumar’s spell of 1-28 was worth its weight in gold.

With the match at knife’s edge after Jasprit Bumrah’s pin-point yorker floored Washington Sundar, Ashwani kept things by bowling two nine-run overs, before conceding only three runs in the final over to ensure MI sealed their ticket to Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene lauded Ashwini for responding brilliantly to the challenges the side has put him through in the competition so far. "We have given him simple plans so that he doesn't get confused. A lot of guys on the field help him. Booms (Bumrah), Deepak (Chahar), Hardik, all those guys have those chats. But it is all about execution and the pressure and what we have seen in him."