Despite the team’s defeat, the Mumbai Indians’ scouting unit may well have raised a toast on Sunday night. Their punt on another unknown quantity, after all, might just have worked, although it’s still early days.
When Vignesh Puthur – one of the four debutantes on the night for MI – came on to bowl in the eighth over during his side’s IPL opener, Chennai were strolling in their chase of 156. Perhaps it provided the ideal entry for the 24-year-old as in terms of where the game stood, there wasn’t any real pressure. He had the space to do what he knows best without worrying about the end result. And with his variations, he picked up the wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda to put Chennai under pressure for the first time in the night.