Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Vignesh Puthur's impressive debut in CSK vs MI IPL 2025 clash ft. Harbhajan Singh
24-year-old left-arm spinner Vignesh Puthur shot to fame in his debut IPL game for Mumbai Indians (MI) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday (March 23) in Chennai.
The game saw CSK sealing a 156-run chase in the last over, but Puthur impressed with figures of 3/32 despite MI's loss. He dismissed CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda on his successful debut.
Despite not having played domestic cricket for the senior Kerala side, the left-arm spinner was fast-tracked to the MI setup by their talent scouts. Notably, they spotted the youngster's talent during the inaugural edition of the Kerala Cricket League in 2024.
Earlier this year, he also served as a net bowler for MI Cape Town in SA20, while getting an opportunity to train with Rashid Khan.
On that note, let's take a look at the top expert reactions to Vignesh Puthur's debut in the cash-rich league.
#1 Harbhajan Singh
Legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh applauded Vignesh Puthur for proving his merit in only his first appearance. While mentioning his fearless attitude, the 44-year-old predicted Puthur to be among the key bowlers for MI in the coming years.
Here's what Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel:
"A young player who I want to praise is Vignesh Puthur. He had not played any big match before this fixture. By taking three wickets, he did justice to MI's talent scout team. He will remain a key bowler for MI for number of years.
"At no point during the game, it looked like he was under pressure, or feared about getting hit by a player. He flighted and spun the ball and impressed with his temperament. I hope he does well in this season."
#2 Navjot Singh Sidhu
Cricketer-turned-commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu lavished praise on Vignesh Puthur and compared him to the late Bishan Singh Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna.
Sidhu pointed out Puthur's aggressive mindset to secure breakthroughs. Here's what he said on Star Sports:
“Vignesh was looking to take wickets, and he was not afraid to bowl slowly and give flight to the ball. The current spinners get defensive and target the legs of the batters to contain them.
“However, Vignesh is different as he bowled like a spinner. I am remembering Bishan Singh Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna after looking at Vignesh. Bishan Singh Bedi was not easy to play even in the nets."
#3 Piyush Chawla
Ranked second in terms of wickets in IPL history, Piyush Chawla appeared on ESPNcricinfo for the post-match analysis of the CSK-MI game. During the discussion, Chawla praised Vignesh Puthur for his impressive bowling performance, while highlighting how the 24-year-old fetched sharp spin from his wrong'un.
The 36-year-old thinks as Puthur gets older, he will be able to generate more revolutions, thus making him even more dangerous. He said:
"He's got a great future in front of him. As he'll grow little older, he get that power, so the speed which he's not getting, he will get more revs on the ball and little bit quicker in the air, so he'll become even more dangerous. Because he has got a beautiful action and the best thing is if you see his wrong'un, it was turning big, so he was really good at it."
#4 Michael Vaughan
When informed Vignesh Puthur had bowled for MI in SA20 nets, former England skipper Michael Vaughan pointed out how it was a luxury to have your teams in different leagues. He thinks it allows young players to train themselves against a variety of players.
Vaughan lauded Puthur's swift action and suggested if the spinner gained more muscle, he could have a long career. Here's what he said on Cricbuzz Live:
"He's small, he's young. He's got a beautiful action, once he gets a little stronger, he can fizz it a bit quicker. It's only a start of we hope a long career. He got three caught on the edge, that was just his evening that the ball went to his fielders."
As per Vaughan, Chennai was a perfect venue for Vignesh Puthur's debut. However, he feels the youngster can ace the Wankhede challenge with his flight and variations. He added:
"I will say it's probably the right pitch and right boundary size to make your debut. But, there'll will be harder challenges at Wankhede, but if he is willing to have a little bit of flight and he's got the variations, he's gonna have a good time."
#5 Amit Mishra
The seventh-highest wicket-taker in IPL, Amit Mishra thinks today's youngsters have a great opportunity to read the minds of experienced players due to the T20 league. Mishra lauded Vignesh Puthur for his courage to give flight to the ball and secure important breakthroughs in only his first game.
During his interaction on Cricbuzz Live, Mishra said:
"Today's youngsters are very lucky to have an opportunity to play with big players, share dressing room and also learn from them. We don't had that luxury back then, you (Puthur) have got that luxury and you are getting fame as well. You've picked three wickets an impressive bowling performance, with the effective use of flight and dipping the ball in the air."
He added:
"When you are playing your first match in the presence of big crowd against a big team, although you have lost the game, your morale gets boosted. You picked up three wickets against such big players and bowling to your strengths, which is very important. I think he can be an emerging star in the future."