When the Mumbai Indians played the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on March 23, Vignesh Puthur replaced Rohit Sharma to make his Indian Premier League debut. He was one of the five Impact Players that MI had signed up for their matchup with their bitter rivals on Sunday, March 23.
In the Jeddah mega auction last year, MI purchased the 24-year-old for INR 30 lakh. It’s interesting to note that the youthful left-arm wrist-spinner is yet to play senior level for Kerala. However, the young player’s performance in the 2025 Kerala Cricket League in September of last year delighted MI’s scouts.
During KCL 2024, the youthful player played for Alleppey Ripples. His distinctive bowling technique left a lasting impact on MI’s recruitment staff, even though he only took three wickets in two games. Soon after, he was summoned to demonstrate his skills in three trials that MI held.
Puthur, the son of housewife Bindhu PK and autorickshaw driver Sunil Kumar P, has an inspiring childhood story. He described the emotional rollercoaster he went through throughout the 2024 auction process shortly after being signed on by MI for the 2025 Indian Premier League.
“I switched off my TV before the accelerated round of auction began and was preparing to sleep when one of my friends called me and told me that I had been bought by MI. At first, I thought they were trying to play a prank on me. I scrolled the website and saw my name in the Mumbai Indians squad. It was unbelievable,” stated Puthur, as quoted by Times Of India.
The rising star also talked about his early cricket career and how, at the suggestion of Mohammed Sherif, a local club cricketer, he switched to bowling left-arm wrist-spin.
“At that time, I didn’t know what ‘chinaman’ was. I kept working on my deliveries and got into the Malappuram District Cricket Academy three years later. I also played for Kerala at the U-14 and U-19 levels but never progressed further and played for Jolly Rovers, Perinthalmanna at the club level.”
Vignesh Puthur
Puthur, who looks up to Kuldeep Yadav, also talked about his first trial with the team and his interactions with head coach Mahela Jayawardane.
“Mahela sir knew I was nervous, so he came up to me and advised me to take it easy, and I became more confident. I attended two more trials. I was hoping that they would take me as a nets bowler.”
Vignesh Puthur
