MI’s Anshul Kamboj’s No-Ball Nightmare on Debut: Travis Head Gets Lucky

23-year-old Anshul Kamboj had a difficult Indian Premier League debut as the MI pacer bowled two no-balls in his second over and saw opportunities to dismiss Travis Head go down the drain not once, but twice. Anshul Kamboj leaked 32 runs in his first two overs in MI’s penultimate home game of the IPL 2024 season against SunRisers on May 6.

Anshul Kamboj witnessed a see-saw of emotions in his IPL debut as he shattered the stump, breaching Travis Head’s defence when the in-form Australian opener was batting on 24. However, it turned out to be a no-ball as the buzzer at the Wankhede Stadium went off, much to the disappointment of the young fast bowler. Travis Head made full use of the free-hit as he hit a boundary. As it turned out, Anshul Kamboj had over-stepped in the free-hit delivery as well and the no-ball buzzer went off again. Head once again had the license to free his arms and he did so to pick up another boundary.

MI skipper Hardik Pandya alongside debutant Anshul Kamboj during his spell vs SunRisers at Wankhede Stadium. Going into the game against SunRisers Hyderabad on Monday, the Mumbai Indians made only one change from the playing XI they fielded in the last game. South Africa’s speedster, Gerald Coetzee was dropped. In came their second IPL debutant of the season after Naman Dhir – Anshul Kamboj. Skipper Hardik Pandya would introduce the newcomer in the powerplay itself, bowling in tandem with one Jasprit Bumrah. It was only his second over that Kamboj got rid of one of the most dangerous batters in the competition – Travis Head – or so it seemed. Even though the off stump had been uprooted and his teammates were quick to join him for the celebrations, Kamboj had delivered a front-foot no ball.

His first wicket, however, did come in his third over. With a length ball around the off stump, the MI pacer would pluck the off stump again – this time with Travis Head on strike. But who is MI’s latest debutant? Anshul Kamboj is a 23-year-old all-rounder hailing from Karnal, Haryana. He made a name for himself in the recent edition of the domestic fifty overs tournament where Haryana clinched the title. Kamboj was among the leading wicket-takers with 17 scalps from 10 matches.

Kamboj has 23 wickets from 15 List-A games. Before his IPL debut, Kamboj had featured in nine T20 matches and has a first-class record of 13 games. He has represented India at the U-19 level with two youth Test appearances against South Africa in 2019. Coincidentally, Kamboj shared the field then with Marco Jansen, who was also part of the opposition XI – SunRisers – during his IPL debut.

Back in 2023, Kamboj was part of the MI camp as a net bowler. At the 2024 mini-auction, he was bought by MI for his base price of INR 20 lakh.