March 24, 2025: After a disappointing loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday, Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling coach Paras Mhambrey spoke about the reasoning behind selecting left-arm spinner Vignesh Puthur in the second innings.
Puthur, making his IPL debut, was brought in as an impact player in the second innings and had an impressive spell. He took three wickets in his four-over spell, conceding just 32 runs. The 24-year-old spinner claimed the key wickets of CSK’s captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Deepak Hooda at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.
In the post-match press conference, Mhambrey explained the decision to bring Puthur into the squad, saying, “I think the idea at MI is always seeing the potential more than anything else. 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.”
He further added that Puthur’s bowling had impressed even the most experienced batsmen in the team, including Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. “I think when Rohit, Surya, and Tilak all batted against him, they felt it wasn’t that easy. So that was one of the reasons we felt confident in pushing him for this game. It’s never easy. The first game against CSK was a big game. But surely, the way he responded, hats off to him. I think he was able to hold his nerves and handle pressure superbly,” Mhambrey remarked.
Puthur’s performance was a silver lining for MI, as his bowling gave the team a fighting chance in the game, even though CSK emerged victorious by four wickets. A spirited spell from Noor Ahmad and a steady 65* from Rachin Ravindra helped guide Chennai Super Kings to a hard-fought win.