Best figures on IPL debut: Ashwani the first Indian with a four-for
There was no looking back after Ashwani struck with his first ball in the IPL
Dustin Silgardo
31-Mar-2025
Ashwani Kumar struck with his first ball in the IPL • Associated Press
Alzarri Joseph | 3.4-1-12-6
MI vs SRH, Hyderabad, 2019Joseph, then just 22, was not slated to play IPL 2019 and only joined the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad as a replacement for Adam Milne. With Lasith Malinga unavailable because of his national commitments, Joseph got a game and had a dream start, dismissing David Warner in his first over. Vijay Shankar fell in his next, before Joseph dismissed Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the space of four balls. He finished things off with the wicket of Siddarth Kaul as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were bundled for 96. Three of Joseph's wickets were bowled as the SRH batters struggled to handle his pace.
Tye got his first IPL contract at age 31. By then, he was already known for his arsenal of slower balls, in particular his knuckleball, from his exploits in the BBL and the T20Is he had played for Australia. On IPL debut, he took four of his five wickets with knuckleballs as he restricted Rising Pune Supergiant/s in the middle and death overs. A hat-trick in the 20th over capped a fine display of his T20 skills. A year later, Tye saw his price tag rise from INR 50 lakh to INR 7.2 crore, as Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) splurged on him.
Shoaib Akhtar | 3-0-11-4
KKR vs DD, Kolkata, 2008
Returning from a long injury layoff, Akhtar made a dramatic entry midway through the first IPL season, dismissing the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) top four within his first 15 balls to derail their chase of 134. He got Virender Sehwag with swing, Gautam Gambhir and AB de Villiers with bounce, and Manoj Tiwary with pure pace. Akhtar would play only two more matches in the IPL, with Pakistan players not picked by any of the teams from 2009 onwards.
Ashwani Kumar | 3-0-24-4
MI vs KKR, Mumbai, 2025Not much was known about the 23-year-old left-arm seamer from Punjab when he made his IPL debut in MI's third match of the 2025 season. Ashwani had played just a handful of domestic matches but had been part of trials at Punjab Kings (PBKS) before and impressed in the 2024 Sher E Punjab T20 competition. With his ability to skid the ball onto batters and surprise them with bounce, he ripped through Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) middle order on debut. Ajinkya Rahane sliced one to backward point, Rinku Singh was out to a short ball, and Manish Pandey and Andre Russell both lost their stumps as Ashwani became the first Indian to take a four-for on IPL debut.
Kevon Cooper | 4-0-26-4
RR vs KXIP, Jaipur, 2012After impressing in the Caribbean T20 and Champions League T20, Trindiad & Tobago allrounder Cooper was picked by Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the 2012 season. He made an instant impression in the IPL, taking four wickets against Punjab with his combination of full balls and slower ones and helping RR defend 191 easily. He took another three wickets in his next game and remained an integral part of the RR side until 2015.
Dustin Silgardo is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo