INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE | Unexpected call up for Vignesh Puthur

Vignesh Puthur who was bought by Mumbai Indians in the IPL auction
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The recent IPL auction in Jeddah was disappointing for Kerala. Of the 16 players who registered for auction, only two were brought by the IPL teams. While the experienced Sachin Baby was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad, it was the unheralded Vignesh Puthur who grabbed eyeballs when he was bought by Mumbai Indians in the accelerated round of auction.

The 23-year-old left-arm wrist spinner from Malappuram was bought for ₹30 lakh by Mumbai Indians. Vignesh had the least credentials among Kerala cricketers registered for the auction. He has never represented Kerala at the senior level, though he has played for the State in the under-14 and under-19 categories.

However, it was his stint with Alleppey Ripples in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) which changed his luck. Vignesh played only three matches and picked two wickets for Ripples, but somehow caught the eye of MI’s talent scout. He was summoned for trials in Mumbai.

A nervous Vignesh bowled to the likes of Hardik Pandya at the nets and got only one over in the first trials. But he was able to impress the MI coaching staff, especially Mahela Jayawardene.

“Mahela sir knew I was nervous, so he came up to me and advised me to take it easy, and I became more confident. I attended two more trials. I was hoping that they would take me as a nets bowler,” said Vignesh, who idolises Kuldeep Yadav. 

“I switched off the TV before the accelerated round and was preparing to go to sleep when my friend called to inform me that MI had brought me. I didn’t believe him, as I thought he was trying to fool me. Then I searched the MI website and found my name. I was thrilled. I am looking forward to sharing the dressing room with some of my heroes.”

In his early days as a cricketer, Vignesh bowled medium pace and spin before he was asked to try leg spin by local cricketer Mohammed Sherif. He didn’t know what a chinaman was, though he kept working on his bowling.

He moved to Thrissur to further his cricket career and was one of the leading bowlers in Kerala College Premier T20 league. Consistent performances for Jolly Rovers Cricket earned him a place in the Alleppey Ripples squad for the KCL which was to change his career.