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Mumbai Indians youngster Vignesh Puthur took three wickets on his IPL debut and received a pat on his shoulder from the legendary MS Dhoni.
MS Dhoni praises Vignesh Puthur after an impressive debut. (Screengrab/IPL)
Mumbai Indians introduced Vignesh Puthur to the cricket world when they included him as Impact Substitute in their IPL 2025 opener against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday night. And the left-arm spinner made a telling impact on his IPL debut by snagging as many as three CSK batters to give MI hope in the defense of a tricky total at Chepauk.
The 24-year-old left-arm wrist spinner got rid of CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (53 off 26) in his very first over before removing dangerman Shivam Dube (9 off 7) and then Deepak Hooda (3 off 5) to trigger a mini collapse as the home team slipped from 78/1 to 107/4 while chasing 156.
Hailing from Kerala, Vignesh has so far played in Kerala Cricket League and Tamil Nadu Premier League, but this was the youngster’s first taste of senior cricket.
CSK eventually emerged victorious in the tricky chase and a starry-eyed Vignesh approached the legendary MS Dhoni during the customary post-match handshakes and interacted with the wicketkeeper-batter.
Dhoni was all ears and patted Vingesh on his shoulder in appreciation of his impressive performance on IPL debut.
“Pat on the shoulder for young Vignesh Puthur. I don’t think he will forget it for a long time,” said Ravi Shastri who was on commentary duties during the blockbuster fixture.
CSK opted to bowl first and limited MI to 155/9 in 20 overs thanks to a four-wicket haul from Noor Ahmad who accounted for stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Robin Minz and Naman Dhir. It was Deepak Chahar who dragged MI to a fighting total wih a 15-ball 28.
CSK lost opener Rahul Tripathi early in their chase, but captain Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra stitched a fine partnership to lead a quick recovery and put their team in a solid spot before Vignesh hit back with three quick strikes.
CSK suffered a minor scare towards the end losing half their side for 116 but Rachin (65 off 45) and Ravindra Jadeja (17off 18) ensured no late drama as the former champions overhauled the target with five deliveries to spare.