New Delhi: Vignesh Puthur, a young spinner from Kerala, stole the limelight for Mumbai Indians (MI) in their opening game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday. 24-year-old Puthur, who was the latest of MI’s scouting gems, made an instant impression by shining on his debut for the five-time champions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
An uncapped player, Puthur is yet to play for Kerala in the domestic circuit and was scouted by Mumbai Indians from club cricket in the state. A left-arm spinner, not afraid to flight the ball and mix up his variations well, Puthur made life difficult for the CSK batters during their 156-run chase at the Chepauk. He dismissed some of the best players of spin in the CSK line-up to finish with a 3-wicket haul on his debut.
Puthur opened his account by dismissing CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was looking in fabulous touch for his 26-ball 53. He then managed to get Shivam Dube caught by Tilak Varma in deep, trying to play a big shot before Deepak Hooda gifted his wicket away with a rash shot against the left-arm spinner in the middle overs.
Puthur finished with excellent figures of 3/32 on his debut but failed to help MI win the game as CSK chased down the target of 156 runs comfortably to wrap up a 4-wicke victory. Nonetheless, Puthur’s bowling heroics made fans take notice of his talent as Mumbai Indians were lauded for unearthing another great player through their robust scouting network.
𝘼 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙩 ✨
Twin strikes from the young Vignesh Puthur sparks a comeback for #MI 💙
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/QlMj4G7kV0#TATAIPL | #CSKvMI | @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/DKh2r1mmOx
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 23, 2025
Who is Vignesh Puthur?
Vignesh Puthur is a left-arm spinner, who hails from Malappuram, Kerala. He comes from a humble background as his son his an auto-rickshaw driver and his mother is a homemaker. However, despite moderate means, Puthur’s parents supported his cricketing dream and played a key role in helping their son realise his dream of playing at the highest level.
Puthur started as a medium pacer while playing college cricket before pursuing spin. He soon realised his skills as a spinner and decided to polish them and further refine his game to rise through the ranks. He did well for Alleppey Ripples in the inaugural edition of the Kerala Cricket League which helped him gain the spotlight as he got a chance to feature in the more competitive Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
Puthur has played age-level cricket for Kerala, including the U-23 team but is yet to make his debut for the senior team. However, Mumbai Indians decided to take a punt on him after their scouts took notice of his talent in the Kerala Cricket League. He was picked up by the franchise at his base price of Rs 30 lakh in the IPL 2025 mega auction last year.
Mumbai Indians sent Puthur to South Africa during the SA20 2025 earlier this year as a net bowler for MI Cape Town to help him get the best possible training ahead of IPL 2025. Puthur spent time with the team and got to learn from the likes of Rashid Khan while training under the coaches of MI Cape Town to improve his game.
He was able to deliver for Mumbai Indians on the big stage when called upon in the blockbuster clash against CSK. Unfazed by the pressure of his debut, the 24-year-old wrist spinner stole the show with a 3-wicket haul against the hosts. He is the latest to join the likes of Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Krunal Pandya in the list of elite talents unearthed by Mumbai Indians and will be hoping to continue doing well for the franchise in IPL 2025.
Left-arm spinner Vignesh Puthur produced an exceptional spell for Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2025 opener against Chennai Super Kings to announce himself on the big stage. Puthur, who hails from Kerala, is son of an auto driver and was scouted by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. IPL Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
