From Malappuram to a starry IPL night in Chennai — Vignesh's tale

THE nature of the Indian Premier League (IPL) doesn't lend itself well to the primacy of scouts.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

THE nature of the Indian Premier League (IPL) doesn't lend itself well to the primacy of scouts. Because of the absence of transfer fees and presence of auctions, teams may, at some point in time, be forced to release players they shaped and built in their own image.

Some franchises, though, have continued to unearth and develop players despite the talent drain. Mumbai Indians have a penchant for doing this. Over the last 14 years or so, they have scouted and onboarded the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, three World Cup winners and India regulars across formats.

There have been other, more recent success stories. Nehal Wadhera is one name that readily comes to mind. In 2025, that honour belongs to Vignesh Puthur, the Malappuram-born Kerala left-arm wrist-spinner who hadn't played a senior game for the State. Yet, less than an hour after Noor Ahmad's dazzling spell, Puthur tried his best to keep his team in the game. And, for a period of time, he did just that by accounting for Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda across 12 balls. Like most left-arm wrist-spinners—the rarest primary skill because there are very few practitioners of this art form in the game—there is a mystery element attached to him.