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Ashwani Kumar puts India selectors on notice with four-wicket haul in GT vs MI

Ashwani Kumar took four wickets in the GT vs MI IPL 2026 clash on 20 April at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, and yes, an India debut now feels less like a dream and more like an imminent reality.

Mumbai Indians hammered Gujarat Titans by 99 runs, with Ashwani leading the bowling attack in a manner that few uncapped Indian seamers have managed in recent IPL seasons. The right-armer from Jhanjheri in Mohali dismissed Shubman Gill in the powerplay and then systematically tore through Gujarat’s middle order to finish with stunning figures, making the entire nation ask one obvious question.

GT vs MI: How Ashwani dismantled Gujarat Titans ball by ball?

GT never found their footing after Jasprit Bumrah removed Sai Sudharsan for a duck off the very first ball of their chase. Hardik Pandya then trapped Jos Buttler lbw in the next over, and Ashwani Kumar arrived to remove Gill for 14 in the fifth over. Gujarat lost their three most dangerous batters inside the powerplay for the first time in the franchise’s history, and the chase effectively ended there.

Ashwani bowled with genuine aggression throughout, varying his lengths cleverly and extracting movement that exposed GT’s batting frailty. Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar chipped in with two wickets each to complete a dominant bowling performance that restricted Gujarat to a meagre total.

Why does an India debut for Ashwani Kumar look increasingly inevitable?

This performance did not emerge from nowhere. In IPL 2025, Ashwani Kumar became the first Indian bowler to take a four-wicket haul on an IPL debut, dismantling KKR for 116 and winning the Player of the Match award. He repeated that four-wicket magic in the GT vs MI fixture, demonstrating both consistency and temperament at the highest domestic level.

GT vs MI: Who Is Ashwani Kumar? The Man Who Dismantled Gujarat – His IPL 2026 Per Match Salary

Selectors have historically rewarded sustained IPL brilliance with international call-ups, and Ashwani Kumar now has a compelling body of evidence across two IPL seasons. With the planning for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2028 Down Under to begin after IPL 2026 and India monitoring every performer closely, Ashwani Kumar’s GT vs MI heroics place him firmly at the front of the queue.

GT vs MI produced one of the most one-sided contests of IPL 2026, but Ashwani Kumar made certain the night belonged entirely to him.