MI sign uncapped leg-spinner Raghu Sharma as Vignesh Puthur's replacement
What's the story
Mumbai Indians (MI) have roped in uncapped leg spinner Raghu Sharma as a replacement for the injured Vignesh Puthur, who has been ruled out of IPL 2025 due to bone stress reactions in both his shins. The franchise confirmed that while Puthur won't be playing, he will stay with the team to focus on his recovery and rehabilitation. Here's more.
Performance
Puthur's impressive debut season
Puthur made a mark in his debut IPL season, taking three wickets against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and ending up with six wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 9.08. Although his injury ruled him out for the rest of the tournament, his performance has been impressive.
New addition
Raghu Sharma joins MI at base price of ₹30 lakh
Raghu, who was among MI's net bowlers, has now been included in the main squad at his base price of ₹30 lakh. This will be his first IPL season, just like Puthur. The 32-year-old leg spinner has played for Punjab and Puducherry in domestic cricket.
Statistics
Raghu's domestic cricket record
Raghu has a stellar domestic record with 57 wickets from 11 First-Class matches at an average of 19.59. He also has impressive numbers in List A and T20 formats, having taken 14 wickets in nine games and three wickets from three matches respectively.
Team status
MI's current standing in IPL 2025
Despite a slow start to the tournament with just one win from their first five games, MI have bounced back with five consecutive victories. They are currently third on the points table with 12 points from 10 games. The team will be hoping that Raghu's addition boosts their performance as they aim for the IPL title this season.