"MS Dhoni Asked Him...": What CSK Legend Told MI Debutant Vignesh Puthur During Viral IPL 2025 Interaction

Mumbai Indians (MI) spinner Vignesh Puthur has become a sensation on the internet, following the exploits on his IPL 2025 debut against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last week. Puthur had only played three T20s before his El Clasico show, but despite a small sample size, the 24-year-old gave a good account of himself, dismissing Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda on debut. Even CSK icon MS Dhoni seemed impressed with the leg spinner from Kerala, as he caught up with him after the game.

Fans were curious to know what Dhoni said to Puthur during their viral interaction. Now, Puthur's childhood friend Sreerag has revealed the inside details of their interaction. Sreerag had called Puthur the next morning after his sensational debut.

"Eddaaa, pulli entha da paranchu? (What did MS Dhoni say) is what I asked first because even my parents were keen to know," Sreerag told The Indian Express.

"Dhoni asked him how old is he and told Vignesh to keep doing the same things that have brought him to the IPL," he added.

Sreerag also revealed that the past few days have been overwhelming for Vignesh's parents.

"They were clearly taken aback. At this moment, you need to stay true to your roots and that's what I told them. We have seen what quick fame and money could do to cricketers. We saw it with Vinod Kambli then and now we are seeing it with Prithvi Shaw. This one game doesn't make him good or bad," Sreerag highlighted.

Even the player admitted that he was star-strucked

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"I never thought in my life that I would play with all these players," a smiling Puthur said addressing his star-studded dressing room after being presented the best bowler's badge in the team's in-house post-match honours.

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With him, MI seem to have have unearthed yet another unheralded talent like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, also discovered from the far-reaches, thanks to a robust scouting system.

The team, however, began yet another IPL with a defeat even though the loss on Sunday had a silver lining with Puthur making his presence felt against a storied side like the CSK.

Puthur is currently pursuing MA in English Literature from PTM Govt College Perinthalmanna in the Calicut University.

He hasn't yet played First-Class cricket apart from a brief stint in the Kerala Cricket League and in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, but his talent was enough for MI to bring him on board.

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