What did Dhoni say to Vignesh after that memorable shoulder pat? Vignesh reveals

NEW DELHI: Malayali cricketer Vignesh Puthur, who shined as Mumbai’s impact player in their first match of the IPL 2025 season, has now become a sensation on social media. In his four-over spell, Vignesh took three crucial wickets of Chennai—those of captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Deepak Hooda. Although Mumbai Indians lost the match, Vignesh received praise from none other than cricket legend MS Dhoni.

After his impressive bowling performance, Dhoni walked up to Vignesh, patted him on the shoulder, and spoke to him. The video of this moment has gone viral, leaving fans curious about what exactly Dhoni told Vignesh. The answer has now been revealed. The next morning, Vignesh called his friend Sreerag and shared the details of his conversation with Dhoni. According to Vignesh, the first thing Dhoni asked him was his age. When he replied that he was 24, Dhoni encouraged him to keep performing well in the future.

Vignesh Puthur is a left-arm wrist spinner. He hails from Perinthalmanna and is the son of Sunil Kumar, an auto driver, and K.P. Bindu, a homemaker. His family has no significant cricketing background. It was a local cricket coach named Vijayan who taught him the basics of the game. Although he represented Kerala in the U-14, U-19, and U-23 categories, he is yet to receive a call-up to the senior state team. He played for Alleppey Ripples in the inaugural Kerala Cricket League (KCL). Vignesh is currently a postgraduate student at PTM Government College in Perinthalmanna.

In the IPL auction, Mumbai Indians bought him for Rs 30 lakh. It was Mumbai Indians’ talent scouting coach, who had come to watch the KCL matches, that invited him for trials.