Vignesh Puthur couldn’t have dreamt of a better start to his Indian Premier League (IPL) career as he scored for Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda in the game against Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, March 23.
Entering the game as an impact substitute for Rohit Sharma, the left-arm spinner from Kerala was introduced in the eighth over. The 24-year-old struck the CSK skipper with his fifth ball, becoming his first wicket in the IPL.
Vignesh Puthur then added Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda in the second and third overs respectively to keep Mumbai Indians in a game that seemed about to get out of hand, thanks to Ruthuraj Gaikwad’s fifty. He ended up making 3/32 and Mumbai Indians lost by four wickets in his debut match.
Who is Vignesh Puthur?
Vignesh Puthur was born in Malappuram, Kerala and was bought by Mumbai Indians for a base price of ₹30 lakh on the second day of the IPL 2025 mega auction in November last year.
Interestingly, Vignesh Puthur is yet to represent Kerala at the senior domestic level, but has represented the state at the U-14 and U-19 level. As far as local tournaments are concerned, Vignesh Puthur has played for Alleppey Ripples team in Kerala Cricket League, taking two wickets in three matches.
Vignesh Puthur also played in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. Vignesh Puthur started his career as a medium pacer and then local cricketer Mohammed Sheriff suggested him to try his hand at leg-spinning.
Vignesh Puthur’s career took off after he started playing consistently for Jolly Rovers Cricket Club, which enabled him to be included in the Alleppey Ripples squad for the KCL.