The world of cricket is surrounded by unexpected surprises, with undiscovered gems from small towns becoming heroes in IPL (Indian Premier League) every season. With 18th edition of IPL launched on March 22, a new lad has risen on the block and already created a name for himself with his debut performance.
The El Classico of IPL, between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) took place on March 23 at Chepauk stadium. This nail-biting match turned out to be an exciting affair, with CSK going all guns blazing in the bowling and batting department.
It was a day for the left-arm wrist-spinners in Chennai’s first game. The younger but rather well-known Noor Ahmad picked up 4 wickets from 18 in four overs, but he was pitted against a complete unknown.
The mystery discovery, Vignesh Puthur is a 24-year-old player from Kerala. His dream start in the biggest cricket league of the world was unlike his contemporaries. His story began in at a local level as a medium pace bowler, before an intervention from cricketer Mohammed Sherif changed his trajectory.
He had apparently never played any T20 game at a senior level but was able to knock off experienced batsmen Ruturaj Gaikwad past his fifty, Shivam Dube during his outing and even the veteran Deepak Hooda.
Paras Mhambrey, MI’s bowling coach, explained what went behind the scenes that resulted in Puthur making his IPL debut and doing so well. “I think the idea at MI is always seeing the potential more than anything else.” “And when we saw him for one of our trials, we saw the potential in him rather than looking into how much cricket he has played in the past”.
Puthur, who was brought in as an Impact Player in the second innings, began his spell outside the powerplay. The glorious debutant from Malappuram, Kerala attended trials for MI ahead of the IPL auction in November.
Bought in the auction for INR 30 Lakhs, he was sent to South Africa to work as a net bowler for MI Cape Town. This extensive training helped fast-track his development because of the presence around quality players and grasp the learnings of the game as much as he could.
Vignesh Puthur produced a brilliant performance for MI, registering commendable figures of 3/32 in four overs against CSK.
A Tale of Hard work:
Hailing from a humble background, Vignesh’s story is one of determination and resilience. His father Sunil Kumar works as an auto driver, while his mother, KP Bindu, is a homemaker.
His parents have been a constant source of strong support in his cricketing journey, despite the underlying financial constraints. Puthur is presently pursuing an MA in Literature from PTM Government College in his hometown.
As far as the weekend game is concerned, Vignesh tried his best to rattle CSK’s middle order and became the most impactful bowler for MI in their blockbuster opener; although, he couldn’t prevent a narrow defeat for the side.
From the moment he stepped onto the field for Mumbai Indians, Puthur didn’t just play; he announced his arrival in full gusto and style. The spinner was visibly elated when the stalwart MS Dhoni himself congratulated him on his on-field magic and being the only beacon of hope for his squad that night.
