Key Points
MI scouted Vignesh from Kerala T20 league
Took 3 wickets in IPL debut vs CSK
Trained with Rashid Khan in SA20
Jayawardene praises his chilled attitude
The MI scouting team continues on its task, as Vignesh, a 24-year-old wrist spinner picked from Kerala T20 league where he played for Alleypey Ripples, made his professional T20 debut during MI's high-profile opener against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
In the match, he threatened to change the game in favour of CSK during a 156-run chase, picking up three wickets for 32 runs in losing cause.
Before this IPL, Vignesh was sent to South Africa as a net bowler for MI Cape Town in SA20 season three, a team which also features Afghanistan superstar spinner Rashid Khan.
Speaking ahead of the match in a pre-match presser, Jayawardene, also the global head of performance for all MI's T20 franchises, spoke on Vignesh.
"I was not there [at the SA20], yes, I was part of the thought process, but I was not here. It was just to get him out and expose him to cricket because we felt that there is talent and because he hasn't played much cricket prior, gave him that exposure working with some players. And that's about it. VP (Vignesh) is being chilled and he's getting along with it," he said, according to ESPNCricinfo.
During the CSK clash, in absence of pacer Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, MI gave IPL debuts to seamer S Raju and spinner Vignesh. During match against GT, Vignesh could get to play against Rashid.
MI will be in action in their second match of IPL 2025 against Gujarat Titans on March 29 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Both the teams registered defeats in their first matches and would be aiming to get their first points.
Gujarat Titans: Jos Buttler, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Anuj Rawat, Gerald Coetzee, Sherfane Rutherford, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar, Nishant Sindhu.
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Shrijith Krishnan (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, VS Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.
Comments:
Rahul K.
Smart move by MI to give Vignesh international exposure before IPL. Shows their long-term vision for young talent 👏
Priya M.
That 3-wicket spell against CSK was no fluke! Kid's got serious control for a debutant. Hope he gets more chances.
Vikram S.
Not convinced yet. One good match doesn't make a career. Let's see how he handles pressure against GT's batting lineup.
Anjali P.
Imagine learning from Rashid Khan in SA20! No wonder he looked so confident. MI's scouting team deserves credit 🧠
Sanjay T.
Jayawardene's right - Vignesh does seem chilled out there. That attitude will help him handle IPL pressure better than most rookies.
