The Mumbai Indians (MI) have announced the signing of leg-spinner Raghu Sharma as a replacement for Vignesh Puthur, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season due to injury. The decision comes after medical assessments confirmed that Puthur is suffering from bone stress reactions in both his shins, making him unavailable for the upcoming matches.
Despite being sidelined, Puthur will continue to remain with the Mumbai Indians squad. According to the official press release, he will undergo rehabilitation and focus on his recovery under the supervision of the Mumbai Indians’ medical and strength and conditioning (S&C) team. His presence in the camp will still be valuable, especially as he continues to grow and learn alongside experienced professionals.
Vignesh Puthur, a promising talent from Mallapuram, Kerala, made a significant impression during his short stint in the IPL. He burst onto the scene with an eye-catching debut against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), where he picked up 3 wickets for 32 runs.
Over the course of five matches, he claimed a total of six wickets, maintaining an economy rate of 9.08. Remarkably, Puthur made his IPL debut even before representing Kerala in senior domestic cricket.
He was discovered by Mumbai Indians scouts during his performances in the Kerala T20 League and seized the opportunity on the big stage. In his debut at Chepauk, Puthur dismissed key CSK players including Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Deepak Hooda, instantly marking himself as a player to watch.
Joining the squad in his place is Raghu Sharma, a 31-year-old leg-spinner from Jalandhar, Punjab. Sharma has played domestic cricket for both Punjab and Puducherry and brings with him a solid record.
🚨 News 🚨@mipaltan sign Raghu Sharma as a replacement for the injured Vignesh Puthur #TATAIPL | Details 🔽
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 1, 2025
In 11 first-class matches, he has taken 57 wickets at an impressive average of 19.59, including best figures of 7/56. His List A stats include 14 wickets from 9 games, while he also has 3 T20 appearances to his name. This will be Sharma’s first appearance in the IPL, and he joins MI at his base price of INR 30 lakhs.