Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling coach Paras Mhambrey discussed why he selected left-arm spinner Vignesh Puthur for the second innings of the match after the team’s humiliating defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Sunday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match, according to ESPNCricinfo.

The five-time winners brought in Vignesh Puthur as an impact player in the second innings, marking his debut in the lucrative competition. In his four overs, Puthur claimed three wickets while giving up thirty-two runs. At Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, the 24-year-old player claimed the wickets of Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, and CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.

“I believe that MI’s philosophy is to constantly focus on the possibilities. Instead of examining how much cricket he had previously played, we spotted his potential when we met him for one of our tryouts. During the post-match news conference, Paras Mhambrey said, “We saw the potential in him when we saw him for one of our trials, rather than looking into how much cricket he has played in the past,” as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

The bowling coach said that it was difficult for seasoned players like Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav to face Vignesh Puthur in the nets.
“I believe that when Tilak [Varma], Surya [Kumar Yadav], and Rohit [Sharma] batted against him, they sensed that it wasn’t that simple. Thus, it was among the factors that gave us the courage to challenge him in this game.

It’s never simple. It was an important game, the first one versus CSK. But kudos to him for the way he answered. I believe he did a fantastic job of maintaining composure under pressure. It got us into the game, I believe. Extremely pleased with his performance. Additionally, Mhambrey said

At Chepauk, Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by four wickets thanks to a strong performance from Noor Ahmad and a tenacious 65* from Rachin Ravindra.

After winning the toss, CSK chose to bowl first. MI was held to 36/3 by Khaleel Ahmed (3/29) before MI recovered thanks to a 51-run partnership between captain Suryakumar Yadav (29 in 26 balls, two fours, and a six) and Tilak Varma (31 in 25 balls, two fours, and two sixes).

MI often lost wickets until Noor Ahmad (4/18) produced a stint that changed the course of the match. As MI scored 155/9 in their 20 overs, bowlers had something to fight for thanks to Deepak Chahar (28* in 15 balls with two fours and two sixes).

Rahul Tripathi (2) was lost early by CSK in the run-chase. CSK stabilized thanks to a 67-run partnership between captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (53 in 26 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and Rachin, but Vignesh Puthur’s brilliant performance (3/32) threatened to alter the outcome.

Rachin (65* in 45 balls, with two sixes and four sixes) and Ravindra Jadeja (17 in 18 balls) helped CSK to the finish line with four wickets and five balls remaining after they were reduced to 116/5.