Punjab Kings (PBKS) recruit Vishnu Vinod gave an exemplary display of his power-hitting abilities by slamming a quickfire 41-ball 94 in the ongoing Kerala Cricket League (KCL 2025). Signed for INR 95 lakhs during last year’s mega-auction by PBKS, the wicketkeeper-batter struck at a blistering rate of 229.27, comprising three boundaries and a staggering 10 maximums.
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GAW
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SWDM
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DEN
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Playing for the Arie Kollam Sailors, Vinod’s knock came against the Kochi Blue Tigers, which is led by India international Sanju Samson’s elder brother Saly Samson.
Vinod’s recent knock will also make a strong statement for retention ahead of the IPL 2026 auction and he will look to build on this impressive display to further solidify his case.
Vishnu’s innings, coupled with Sachin Baby’s 91(44) propelled the Sailors to a towering total of 236/5 in 20 overs. However, it eventually went in vain as Sanju Samson’s century heroics in the second innings where he blasted 121 off 51 balls helped the Kochi Blue Tigers chase down the massive target and seal a four-wicket win.
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While PBKS acquired Vishnu Vinod at the auction last year, he did not manage to find a place in the playing XI and the 31-year-old had to spend the season warming the benches.
Nevertheless, Vinod can be a likely retention option for PBKS in a backup role since he is the only other Indian wicketkeeper in the side apart from Prabhsimran Singh.
Furthermore, Vishnu’s versatility where he can open the innings or play as a finisher in the lower middle order, hitting the big shots will also back his cause for retention. PBKS built a solid core of Indian players last season which was crucial for their runners-up finish in IPL 2025 and it is unlikely the management will look to tinker with it much.
Speaking about Vishnu’s IPL journey, he began his career in 2017 when he was signed by Bangalore as a replacement for the injured KL Rahul. His initial season featured three matches where he scored 19 runs, and he was not retained for the following year. Subsequently, he went unsold in the 2018, 2019, and 2020 player auctions.
His fortunes changed in February 2021 when Delhi acquired him at the auction; however, he did not feature in a single match that season and was later released. He was then purchased by Hyderabad for the 2022 season. For the 2023 edition, Mumbai Indians picked him up, where he spent two years as a backup wicket-keeper before Punjab signed him ahead of the 2025 season.
