Meet Vignesh Puthur, Mumbai Indians’ mystery weapon for against Chennai Super Kings
GH News March 24, 2025 01:06 PM

New Delhi: The Mumbai Indians have once again showcased their ability to identify emerging talent as Vignesh Puthur made a notable impact on his IPL debut by claiming 3 wickets for 32 runs against CSK. With key players Jasprit Bumrah and captain Hardik Pandya unavailable Puthurs impressive performance provided a boost to the MI squad and allowed them to remain competitive in the match.
Mumbai Indians acting captain Suryakumar Yadav expressed high regard for the 24-year-old player noting that the spinner has a promising future.
“I mean it was amazing to see him bowl like that. MI is known for bringing up such talents. The scouts do this 10 months before the Auction and I am sure he has a bright future ahead.” Surya told the broadcasters.
(On holding back Vigneshs 4th over) Not really. I kept his last over in my pocket as I thought if the game goes deep then I will introduce him into the attack but never mind it didnt go the way I thought. the MI Captain added.
Commentator Jatin Sapru explored the background of Vignesh Puthur noting that the left-arm wrist spinner is the child of an auto-rickshaw driver and has yet to compete in any senior matches for Kerala.
He participated in a regional league with a team named Alleppey Ripples which attracted the interest of scouts from Mumbai. They invited him to their team had him practice bowling in the nets and subsequently provided him with an opportunity to play in a match.
In a conversation with ESPNcricinfo Mumbai Indians bowling coach Paras Mhambrey explained the rationale behind selecting Puthur. He said When we saw him for one of our trials we saw the potential in him rather than looking into how much cricket he has played in the past.
He spins the ball pretty consistently. Lands the ball on pretty much what [where] we wanted. Is pretty accurate with it. I think those are the tick marks that we look into but not only that. But its just the fact that he is different. Spins the ball has a googly. That kind of stuff. So you know he will be able to trouble quality batters with the skills that he has. Mhambrey added.
Vignesh Puthur a 24-year-old from Kerala made a significant contribution as a substitute for Rohit Sharma by taking the wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad with his fifth delivery. In his subsequent two overs he also dismissed Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda putting CSK in a challenging position.
Rachin Ravindras not-out fifty helped CSK secure a victory over the Mumbai Indians reaching their target of 155 runs with five balls remaining. After the match MS Dhoni was seen complimenting Vignesh Puthur for his bowling performance. Dhoni placed his hand on Puthurs shoulder and asked him a question to which the young player responded. The video of this interaction quickly gained popularity on social media.