Mumbai Indians bowling coach Paras Mhambrey hailed young Vignesh Puthur, who made his IPL debut against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. The 24-year-old from Kerala was able to keep MI in the contest when they were defending 156 runs against the arch-rivals.

Puthur, who was playing at the top level for the first time in his career, returned with impressive figures of 3-32 in his quota of four overs. The left-arm wrist spinner accounted for CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Deepak Hooda.

Mhambrey, the former Indian bowling coach, gave credit to the scouting team of Mumbai Indians, who unearthed Puthur from league cricket.

“I think our scouting team deserves some credit. We have some great people who can really support talent. The approach with MI has always been about seeing potential more than anything else,” Mhambrey said in the post-match press conference.

“When he was spotted during one of our trials, we saw his potential rather than focusing on how much cricket he had played in the past. It was clear he had something special, and you could really see that today,” Mhambrey said.

“It’s never easy to play your first game against CSK—it’s a big match. But the way he responded, I have to say, hats off to him. He was able to keep his nerves and handle the pressure superbly, which really got us back into the game. I’m very happy with his performance,” Mhambrey added.

Puthur hasn’t yet played for Kerala and he was able to impress MI’s scouting team during the Kerala Cricket League. In the IPL 2025 auction, MI secured him for INR 30 lakh. The youngster also received appreciation from former CSK captain MS Dhoni after the match.

Mumbai Indians will next take on Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Saturday.