Mumbai Indians’ Vignesh Puthur with captain Suryakumar Yadav celebrates after taking the wicket of Chennai Super Kings’ Shivam Dube. | PTI
Defending a small target against the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians were kept alive in the game by the heroics of 24-year-old debutant Vignesh Puthur, who announced himself at the biggest stage with a three-wicket burst at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Although Mumbai Indians would be disappointed with the loss, the Suryakumar Yadav-led side would be thrilled with the emergence of an exciting left-arm spinner who can trouble the opposition with his wiles and guiles.
Taking the prized wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda showcased the skill and potential that Puthur possesses and illustrated why he was picked by the Mumbai Indians.
Vignesh, who hails from Malappuram district in Kerala, was unearthed by the Mumbai Indians’ scouting team from the Kerala T20 League, where he played for Allepey Ripples.
Having played only three games in the inaugural Kerala T20 League for two wickets, there was enough in Vignesh’s armour for the MI to call him up for trials and then eventually buying him for Rs 30 lakh ahead of IPL 2025.
The mystery spinner warmed up for the IPL with a stint as the net bowler at MI Cape Town in the SA20.
What makes Vignesh’s rise all the more endearing is the backstory.
The son of an autorickshaw driver, Vignesh’s journey is also one of that which makes the Indian Premier League what it is.
A platform for young, local, talented Indian players to come to the fore and in the process change their lives for the better as in the case of Vignesh for instance.
Mumbai Indians bowling coach Paras Mhambrey vouched for Vignesh’s mettle and felt his lack of First Class cricket experience or the fact that he had played only three games of the Kerala T20 League mattered very little once they were convinced about his skills.
“The idea at MI is always seeing the potential more than anything else, and 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 added.
