Chennai The 24-year-old left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur was called in as an Impact Substitute as the Mumbai Indians defended a modest score of 156, giving the youthful player from Mallapuram, Kerala, his debut. Puthur, who replaced India skipper Rohit Sharma, made his IPL debut before even representing his state in senior representative cricket. The five-time winners unexpectedly brought him to the national arena in front of millions of spectators.

Puthur, whose mother K.P. Bindu is a housewife and whose father Sunil Kumar drives an autorickshaw, made an early impression by taking 3-32 in his four-over session. The fact that Puthur was not scared to give the ball fly and challenged seasoned hitters with his control and variations, however, was more impressive to everyone than the number of wickets.

Alongside players like Saurabh Tiwary, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, and others, Puthur is another youthful gem that the Mumbai Indians have discovered over the years. He is a right-handed hitter and a left-arm wrist spinner. He is a spinner who is similar to Kuldeep Yadav, and the Mumbai Indians fans believe he has the ability to succeed like Kuldeep.

Puthur got rid of CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad on Sunday when he lobbed a catch to long-on; Shivam Dube was caught in the deep after failing to achieve elevation on a slog-sweep; and Shivam Dube holed out to the fielder at the straight boundary for nine.

Puthur, who went from Malappuram to Thrissur to pursue his aspirations, persisted in his quest for cricketing greatness in spite of financial limitations.

While pursuing a Master of Arts in Literature at St. Thomas College in Thrissur, he rose to recognition as a musician. Puthur, who also played in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, gained notoriety for his efforts for the Alleppey Ripples in the first Kerala Cricket League season.

The Mumbai Indians’ talent scouts first took notice of Puthur when he was playing in the Kerala Premier League. MI paid Rs 30 lakh to purchase him in the 2025 IPL auction.

Earlier this year, the Mumbai Indians sent Puthur to South Africa for the third season of SA20 to help him improve as a bowler. While there, he played net bowl for MI Cape Town and trained with Rashid Khan, one of the best wrist-spinners in T20 cricket.

The performance of Vignesh Puthur on Sunday is evidence of the Mumbai Indians’ effective talent scouting strategy. Vignesh Puthur and the franchise must now do every effort to maintain the momentum and reap more rewards.

The performance of Vignesh Puthur on Sunday is evidence of the Mumbai Indians’ effective talent scouting strategy. Vignesh Puthur and the franchise must now do every effort to maintain the momentum and reap more rewards.