MS Dhoni made Mumbai Indians spinner Vignesh Puthur’s Indian Premier League (IPL) debut against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) unforgettable with words of appreciation after their game on Sunday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Coming in as an impact substitute for Rohit Sharma, the 24-year-old from Kerala made an instant impact with the wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad in his fifth ball. In his second and third overs, Vignesh Puthur dismissed Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda to put CSK on the backfoot.
However, Rachin Ravindra’s unbeaten half century ensured CSK romp home with five balls to spare while chasing Mumbai Indians’ 155/9. Following the game, MS Dhoni was caught seen praising Vignesh Puthur for his bowling. The CSK legend put his hand to Vignesh’s Puthur’s shoulders and asked something.
The youngster too obliged with an answer, the video of which went viral on social media.
Earlier, sent into bat first, Rohit Sharma departed without bothering the scorers as Mumbai Indians’ top-order struggled to get going. Stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav (29) and Tilak Varma (31) stabilised the innings a bit before Deepak Chahar’s fiery cameo of unbeaten 28 lent some respectability to the total.
Who is Vignesh Puthur?
Born in Malappuram in Kerala, Vignesh Puthur was roped in by Mumbai Indians for a base price of ₹30 lakh during IPL 2025 mega auction last November. He is yet to represent Kerala at the senior domestic level but represented the state at the U-14 and U-19 levels.
As for the local tournaments, Vignesh Puthur featured for Alleppey Ripples in the Kerala Cricket League, picking up two wickets from three games. He also had a stint in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.
But spin bowling was not Vignesh Puthur’s first love. During his initial days, Vignesh Puthur started as a medium pacer before he was asked to try his hand at leg spin by local cricketer Mohammed Sherif.
