Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is added to the playing XI.
Vignesh Puthur, the young spin sensation from Kerala, made headlines with an outstanding Indian Premier League debut for Mumbai Indians (MI) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23, 2025, taking three crucial wickets. Despite this impressive performance, MI has surprisingly decided to drop him from the playing XI in their latest match against Gujarat Titans (GT).
Hardik Pandya has opted for the experienced Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman over Vignesh for MI’s clash with GT.
Mumbai Indians Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Satyanarayana Raju.
Mumbai Indians Impact Subs: Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks.
The decision largely hinges on the specific playing conditions at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Known for its black soil pitch and longer boundaries, the conditions favor bowlers who can extract bounce and utilise variations effectively.
Vignesh, a talented left-arm wrist spinner, thrives primarily on surfaces that offer pronounced turn, such as the pitch at Chepauk, where he enjoyed considerable success in his debut match. However, the pitch at Ahmedabad generally demands a slightly different bowling skill set—something Mujeeb, who bowls tighter lines and has a wealth of international experience, can leverage more effectively.
Additionally, the Gujarat Titans boast a batting lineup whose big spin hitters are all right-handed batters.
Given that Vignesh’s stock delivery naturally turns into the right-hander, he might find it challenging to control the run-flow and pose consistent wicket-taking threats against such a batting unit. Mujeeb, on the other hand, has established himself as an effective bowler against right-handers. He is particularly adept at bowling tight lengths and exploiting variations to trouble batters on challenging pitches.
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Mumbai Indians’ tactical shift, however, does not diminish Vignesh’s promising future. MI is known for nurturing young talent, as evidenced by their investment in his growth, including his stint in South Africa ahead of IPL 2025 to hone his skills with MI Cape Town players.
Vignesh’s father, Sunil Puthur, recently expressed confidence in MI’s approach towards his son’s cricketing journey.
“MI are a good team. We want Vignesh to keep moving forward at the franchise,” Sunil said, highlighting their belief in MI’s developmental approach.
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