Vignesh Puthur didn’t only fox the CSK batters. He did the same to his teammates Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma in the nets.
It’s taken just two days and three games of IPL 2025, but it feels like we already have the first breakout performer of the season. Vignesh Puthur, the left-arm wrist-spinner from Mumbai Indians, was on fire Sunday evening, bamboozling Chennai Super Kings batters with his variations. The 24-year-old finished with 3/32, and while it may not have been decisive figures, Puthur’s effectiveness was such that even the one and only MS Dhoni couldn’t help but pat him on the shoulders after Chennai Super Kings beat MI by four wickets to get their campaign off to a cracking start.
Vignesh Puthur (L) with captain Suryakumar Yadav celebrating a wicket(AFP)
Being a left-arm wrist-spinner, a rare oddity in world cricket, Puthur was always expected to be a wild card, but the fact that he can spin the ball both ways with similar deliveries. In fact, as it turns out, it wasn’t only CSK batters who had a tough time facing Puthur; the youngster even foxed his teammates at MI – the star-studded trio.
“Rohit, Surya, Tilak, all these guys batted against him (in the nets). It wasn’t easy to pick him. We felt that we had the confidence of pushing him in this game. And it turned out to be excellent. It was a good decision,” MI and former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Also Read: Who is Vignesh Puthur MI star with no domestic experience rattles CSK middle-order, earns pat on the back from MS Dhoni
Bought at the IPL mega auction for ₹30 lakh, Puthur had no prior experience playing any form of competitive or domesti cricket. He played just three matches in the Kerala Cricket League, where he picked just two wickets. Yet, this is where MI’s robust scouting talent emerged to the fore once again. The franchise that made greats out of the once-unknown Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah and produced promising talents such as Nehal Wadhera and Tilak, Puthur may be the wildest new addition to the list.
Vignesh Puthur was sent to South Africa
He was brimming with so much promise that MI sent him to South Africa with the MI Cape Town for the SA20, and as he spent time with the likes of captain Rashid Khan and Trent Boult, Puthur came back with a wealth of knowledge. Starstruck or not, Puthur ensured he became one of MI’s four debutants on the night and made waves with what he brought to the table. It’s not everyday that a youngster has Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda as his first three IPL wickets.
“I think the uniqueness. I think in this format, you need to be a little bit different. And you see all the Chinaman bowlers – Kuldeep prior to this has done well. So I think the idea was kind of how we use him in terms of the potential that he has,” Mhambrey added.
“The idea has always been about seeing the potential more than anything else. And when we saw him in one of our trials, we saw the potential in him. Rather than looking into how much cricket he’s played in the past. It’s purely the thought that he has the potential. And you saw that today. Never easy, first game against CSK, it’s a big game. But purely the way he responded, hats off to him”.
