Though it came in a losing cause, Vignesh Puthur's performance as an Impact Substitute for Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings has come in for praise from all quarters. The 24-year-old left-arm wrist spinner returned figures of 3/32 on Sunday (March 24), which included the prized wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda. (Highlights | Scorecard | Full Coverage)
MI team owner honoured the youngster for his impressive display, presenting him with the informal best bowler's award in the team dressing room after the match. In a video shared the franchise, Ambani can be seen saying: "I have to give the first award to a young spinner who played for the first time for Mumbai.
Not seeing the Kerala lad around, she asks, "Where is Vignesh?", which is when the youngster emerges from the background to receive the award from Ambani. He proceeds to touch her feet before saying, "I want to thank the MI franchise for giving me the opportunity to play the match. I never thought in my life that I would play with all these players.
"I am very happy. Thanks so much; especially our captain Surya bhai (Suryakumar Yadav) was very supportive. I guess that is why I never felt that much pressure." You can watch the clip of the wholesome interaction below.
The unheralded Puthur, who is yet to even make his debut for his state team of Kerala, is currently pursuing his MA in Literature from Calicut University, other than his cricketing career. Born to an autorickshaw driver and a homemaker, the youngster made his name playing for the Alleppey Ripples in the Kerala Cricket League. The Mumbai scouts noticed him, and that earned him three trials with the team before IPL 2025.
