The recent Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Jeddah was disappointing for Kerala. Of the 16 players who registered for the auction, only two were brought by the IPL teams.
While the experienced Sachin Baby was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad, it was the unheralded Vignesh Puthur who grabbed eyeballs when Mumbai Indians brought him on board for Rs. 30 lakhs in the accelerated round of the auction.
The 23-year-old left-arm wrist spinner from Malappuram had the least credentials among the Kerala cricketers registered. He had never represented Kerala at the senior level though he had played for the State in the under-14 and under-19 categories.
Despite his unremarkable stint with Alleppey Ripples in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL), he somehow caught the eye of the talent scout for Mumbai Indians and was summoned for trials in Mumbai. In the KCL, Vignesh played only picked up two wickets from his three matches.
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 head coach Mahela Jayawardene.
“Mahela sir knew I was nervous so he came up to me and advised me to take it easy which made me more confident. I attended two more trials. But I was hoping that they would take me as a nets bowler. 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 and I was thrilled. I am looking forward to sharing the dressing room with some of my heroes,’’ said Vignesh, who idolises Kuldeep Yadav.
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 chinaman was, though he kept working on his bowling. Then he moved to Thrissur to further his cricket career and was one of the leading bowlers in the Kerala College Premier T20 league for St. Thomas College. His consistent performances for his club Jolly Rovers Cricket earned him a place in the Alleppey Ripples squad for the KCL which ultimately changed his career.