Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 24: Following Mumbai Indians’ (MI) loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday, MI bowling coach Paras Mhambrey discussed the decision to bring left-arm spinner Vignesh Puthur into the second innings. Puthur, making his debut in the IPL, was introduced as an impact player and impressed with a stellar performance, taking three wickets in his four-over spell, conceding just 32 runs.
Puthur’s wickets included those of CSK’s captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Deepak Hooda. Mhambrey explained that MI’s decision to back Puthur was based on his potential rather than his prior experience. “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,” said Mhambrey in the post-match press conference.
The MI bowling coach also praised Puthur’s skill, noting that even experienced players like Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav found it challenging to face him in the nets. “When Rohit, Surya, and Tilak batted against him, they felt it wasn’t that easy. That’s one of the reasons we had the confidence to push him into this game,” Mhambrey added. “It’s never easy, especially in the first game against CSK, but the way he responded was impressive. He held his nerves and handled the pressure superbly.”
The match saw a strong performance from CSK, led by Rachin Ravindra’s unbeaten 65* from 45 balls, which helped CSK chase down MI’s total of 155/9 with four wickets and five balls to spare. MI’s Noor Ahmad was the standout performer with the ball, taking 4/18 to restrict MI’s batting lineup.
Despite Puthur’s efforts, CSK’s target was successfully completed with Ravindra Jadeja’s support, ensuring the win for the home side at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.