Who is Vignesh Puthur? All you need to know about 24-year-old auto-driver's son in MI squad for IPL 2025

Vignesh Puthur made his IPL debut against CSK.

Mumbai Indians (MI) started their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign on a disappointing note with a four-wicket defeat against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.

After being asked to bat first, MI had a horror start, losing their first three wickets inside the powerplay with just 36 runs on the board. Tilak Varma and captain Suryakumar Yadav then joined hands to stabilize the innings with a 51-run stand, but Noor Ahmad triggered a collapse again, restricting MI to an under-par total of 155.

In reply, CSK got off to a fantastic start with Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad adding 67 runs for the second wicket. The latter took on the aggressor’s role, smashing a half-century at a strike rate of over 200.

Just when the game seemed to be turning into a one-sided affair for CSK, MI’s debutant Vignesh Puthur added drama by dismissing big names like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Deepak Hooda.

The left-arm wrist spinner recorded match figures of 3/32 and helped MI drag the game to the last over, avoiding major damage to their NRR.

Who is Vignesh Puthur? All you need to know about 24-year-old auto-driver’s son in MI squad for IPL 2025

The 24-year-old Vignesh hails from the Malappuram district in Kerala. He is the son of an auto-rickshaw driver and never played senior-level cricket for Kerala. Having started his journey as a medium-pace bowler, Puthur switched to spin on the suggestion of Kerala cricketer Mohammed Sherif.

He caught the eye of MI scouts while playing for St. Thomas College in the Kerala College Premier T20 League and during a brief stint at Jolly Rovers Cricket Club, where he took two wickets in three matches.

The youngster was brought in by the franchise as an impact player in the second innings of the first game, despite the team having a much more experienced option in Karn Sharma. As the tournament unfolds and pitches dry up, Vignesh will play a crucial role for Mumbai in IPL 2025.

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