'Well played'; Malayali cricketer Vignesh gets a pat on the shoulder from MS Dhoni after his excellent bowling performance against CSK

CHENNAI: Malayali player Vignesh Puthur, who came in as an impact player for Mumbai Indians, in his first match of the IPL 2025 season, made the most of the opportunity. In his four overs, Vignesh conceded 32 runs and took three wickets including those of Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda. Though Mumbai lost the match, Vignesh received praise from legendary cricketer MS Dhoni.

After the match, Dhoni walked over to Vignesh, patted him on the shoulder, appreciated his performance and had a conversation with him. The joy on the 24-year-old Vignesh's face after receiving compliments from Dhoni was evident. The video of the moment quickly went viral. Former Indian cricketer and coach Ravi Shastri, who was in the commentary box, also hailed the moment.

Vignesh Puthur is a left-arm wrist spinner hailing from Perinthalmanna. He is the son of autorickshaw driver Sunil Kumar and housewife KP Bindhu. None of his family members has any significant cricket background. It was local cricket coach Vijayan who taught him the basics of cricket. Although Vignesh has played for Kerala in Under-14, Under-19 and Under-23 categories, he is yet to play for the senior team. He played for Alleppey Ripples in the Kerala Cricket League. He is currently a postgraduate student at Perinthalmanna PTM Government College.

Vignesh was brought into the Mumbai Indians squad at the IPL player auction for Rs 30 lakhs. It was the talent scouting coach of Mumbai Indians, who came to watch KCL matches, that requested him to attend trials. Vignesh told Kerala Kaumudi that although Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, liked his bowling during the trials, he never expected to be picked by the team.