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.
137/3
133/9
–
–
210/6
211/9
Desert Vipers Development beat Dubai Capitals Development by 1 wickets
192/6
155/5
–
–
–
–
69/1
167/8
New Delhi Tigers beat Central Delhi Kings by 9 wickets (D/L) method
–
–
–
–
121/8
120/8
South Delhi Superstarz Women beat Central Delhi Queens Women by 1 run
129/6
133/7
Czech Republic beat Romania by 3 wickets
143/4
155/3
Czech Republic beat Romania by 12 runs
93/4
92/8
Romania won by 6 wickets
155/6
154/10
Austria beat Belgium by 4 wickets
146/6
144/9
Austria beat Belgium by 4 wickets
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
300/8
303/6
Birmingham Bears beat Durham by 4 wickets
189/10
192/6
Middlesex beat Northamptonshire by 4 wickets
269/9
270/6
Somerset won by 4 wickets
289/10
159/10
Essex beat Gloucestershire by 130 runs
284/9
286/4
Yorkshire beat Sussex by 6 wickets
312/9
328/10
Worcestershire won by 16 runs
341/7
339/5
Hampshire beat Derbyshire by 3 wickets
279/9
289/8
Surrey beat Nottinghamshire by 10 runs
243/2
242/8
Qatar beat Kenya by 8 wickets
148/10
149/6
Kuwait beat Papua New Guinea by 4 wickets
–
–
44/8
223/1
Ireland Women beat Germany Women by 179 runs
86/9
90/3
Netherlands Women beat Italy Women by 7 wickets
109/7
79/6
ACE KRM Panthers beat SBS CC by 30 runs
46/9
74/6
Kuwait Swedish beat Bader & Nie Cricket Club by 28 runs
174/3
173/7
Calicut Globstars beat Adani Trivandrum Royals by 7 wickets
237/6
236/5
Kochi Blue Tigers beat Aries Kollam Sailors by 4 wickets
–
–
–
–
146/9
149/1
Mangalore Dragons won by 9 wickets
181/7
180/6
Shivamogga Lions Won by 3 wickets
–
–
–
–
128/10
133/3
Royal Oman Stallions beat Yallah Shabab Giants by 7 wickets
134/3
132/4
Majees Titans beat Renaissance Challengers by 7 wickets
–
–
–
–
431/2
155/10
Australia won by 276 runs
116/10
119/2
Toombul beat Ipswich by 8 wickets
2/0
–
149/5
148/10
Sandgate Redcliffe beat Wynnum Manly by 5 wickets
173/6
158/10
Redlands beat Sunshine Coast by 15 runs
133/7
132/8
Gold Coast beat University of Queensland by 3 wickets
187/8
232/4
Valley beat Northern Suburbs by 45 runs
–
–
150/6
152/7
Trent Rockets beat Welsh Fire by 3 wickets
109/7
113/3
Birmingham Phoenix beat Manchester Originals by 7 wickets
–
–
122/9
145/6
Trent Rockets Women beat Welsh Fire Women by 23 runs
95/10
111/3
Birmingham Phoenix Women beat Manchester Originals Women by 16 runs
–
–
130/10
131/4
Adelaide Strikers Academy beat Chicago Kingsmen by 6 wickets
107/10
155/8
Perth Scorchers Academy beat Pakistan Shaheens by 48 runs
190/6
205/2
Perth Scorchers Academy beat Adelaide Strikers Academy by 15 runs
184/7
143/9
Meerut Mavericks beat Noida Super Kings by 41 run
187/4
168/7
Kashi Rudras beat Lucknow Falcons by 19 runs
–
–
–
–
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.
ALSO READ:
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.
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons won by 7 wickets