Mumbai Indians (MI) have confirmed that left-arm leg spinner Vignesh Puthur has been ruled out of IPL 2025 due to bone stress reactions in both shins. In response, the franchise has signed uncapped leg spinner Raghu Sharma as Puthur’s replacement. Puthur had made a strong impression in his debut season, notably picking up three wickets in his very first match against Chennai Super Kings. Over five matches, he took six wickets at an economy rate of 9.08, earning widespread praise despite having no prior first-class cricket experience.

Although sidelined, Vignesh Puthur is staying with the Mumbai Indians during recovery. The team management has ensured he continues to receive medical and fitness attention from the team's medical and fitness professionals. This is to reaffirm that Puthur returns to full fitness and is back competing in cricket as soon as possible. Having a person around gives the team presence that will help with Puthur's rehabilitation and for him to remain engaged mentally in the environment of the squad.

See Also: IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians rope in Raghu Sharma as replacement for Vignesh Puthur

"Vignesh will continue to be with the team to focus on his recovery and rehabilitation with the Mumbai Indians medical and S&C team," the franchise said in a statement.

𝐑𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐏𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐢 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 #TATAIPL 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧.

📰 Read more ➡ https://t.co/n9MJ7PvqlQ#MumbaiIndians #PlayLikeMumbai pic.twitter.com/a9Ia6XxLlZ

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 1, 2025

Who Is Raghu Sharma?

Raghu Sharma is a right-arm leg-break bowler who was born in Punjab's Jalandhar in March 1993. He played for Punjab and Puducherry in domestic cricket. In just 11 first-class matches, Sharma has taken 57 wickets at an average of 19.59, with best bowling figures of 7/56. In List A cricket, Sharma picked up 14 wickets in nine matches, with best figures of 4/37. Adding this, he also played in 3 T20 matches where he picked up three wickets. Just like Puthur, this will be a maiden IPL stint for him. He joins MI at his base price of Rs 30 lakhs from the RAPP list.

MI had a slow start in this tournament, as at one time, MI was in the 9th spot in the IPL 2025 points table, where in the first five games in the IPL 2025, Mumbai Indians had managed to win just one game. But since then, they have defeated all five of their opponents and are currently in a strong position in the IPL 2025 standings. Currently, Mumbai Indians are in third place on the points table with 12 points from ten games, heading into the IPL 2025 clash against the Rajasthan Royals on Thursday.

Mumbai Indians' (MI) uncapped bowler Vignesh Puthur is out for the rest of IPL 2025 due to bone stress reactions in both his shins, which led Mumbai Indians to find his replacement in Raghu Sharma.

Puthur, in his debutante IPL journey, did it in an impressive manner with 3 wickets against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and overall, he took six wickets in five games at an economy rate of 9.08. Mumbai Indians never disappoint his fans in terms of talent hunt. Raghu Sharma is the latest in the list, a 32-year-old leg spinner from Jalandhar, Punjab, now officially in the 5-time IPL-winning squad. He was a net bowler for MI after some impressive bowling with Punjab and Puducherry.

The Mumbai-based franchise has roped in Sharma for INR 30 crore. Despite his age, over 30, Raghu has been an underrated bowler for years in domestic cricket. His recent performances helped MI scouts to spot him. 

Read More: WATCH: Mumbai Indians' latest recruit Raghu Sharma bowling for Punjab

The right-handed bowler's first-class cricket debut was with Punjab, back in 2017, and he last played a first-class match in 2024 with Puducherry. In 11 FC matches, he has claimed a total of 57 wickets with an economy rate over 3. The spinner, in his first-class career so far, has bagged 10 wickets three times, 5 wickets five times, and four wickets 3 times in a match. 

After he made his List A cricket debut in 2021 with Puducherry, Raghu has played a total of 9 matches and cleared 14 scalps with an economy rate of 5.33. His T20 career stats are also looking decent after taking 3 in 3 matches. 

The last 5 matches Raghu Sharma had played:

- 0/39, Punjab vs Maharashtra 

- 4/37, Punjab vs Puducherry 

- 3/68, Punjab vs Hyderabad

- 2/51, Punjab vs Saurashtra 

- 1/47, Punjab vs Mumbai 

Mumbai Indians have signed leg-spinner Raghu Sharma as a replacement for the injured Vignesh Puthur for the rest of IPL 2025. Raghu, a 31-year-old from Jalandhar, has played domestic cricket for Punjab and Puducherry. This will be his first time playing in the IPL. He joins the team at his base price of ₹30 lakh.

Raghu has done well in first-class cricket, taking 57 wickets in 11 matches, with his best bowling figures being 7 for 56. He also has 14 wickets in 9 List A matches and 3 wickets in T20 games

Raghu Sharma Joins Mumbai Indians as Injury Replacement for Vignesh Puthur

Vignesh Puthur’s injury came at an unfortunate time in this season, when he was starting to make a name for himself and improving his game in a great tournament. He made his IPL debut this season in MI’s first match against Chennai Super Kings and impressed with a three-wicket haul. He went on to play five matches and took a total of six wickets before being ruled out.

𝐑𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐏𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐢 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 #TATAIPL 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧.

📰 Read more ➡ https://t.co/n9MJ7PvqlQ#MumbaiIndians #PlayLikeMumbai pic.twitter.com/a9Ia6XxLlZ

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 1, 2025

Even though he won’t play again this season, Vignesh will stay with the team and continue his recovery with the support of the Mumbai Indians’ medical and fitness staff. The franchise has backed the 22-year-old as he focuses on getting fit again.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Mumbai Indians' latest recruit Raghu Sharma bowling for Punjab

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians have found their rhythm. After a slow start with just one win in their first five matches, they’ve bounced back with five straight victories. In the past, when MI have won five games in a row during a season, they’ve ended up lifting the trophy four out of five times. Fans will be hoping history repeats itself.

Mumbai Indians (MI) have been forced to make another substitute amid the IPL 2025 season. This time they have to replace young sensational talent Vignesh Puthur with Raghu Sharma.

Almost in every IPL season, the MI franchise has produced exciting uncapped players from their talent factory. The Mumbai Indians' talent scout process has been top-notch over the years. The inclusion of Raghu Sharma has exhilarated cricket fans' expectations in the hope of witnessing another unpredictable performance in the cash-rich tournament, though it is unlikely to happen.

Mumbai Indians, with a set playing XI, came back strongly after a turbulent IPL 2025 initial stage. Their spinning duo, Karn Sharma and Mitchell Sharma, are combining well with each other when the team needs them the most. As Raghu Sharma is also a spinner, it'll be tough for him to make a place in the starting XI for himself.

Read More: "It's about winning, not numbers" Rohit Sharma shows why he's the heart of Mumbai Indians

Sharma's googly took bails off 

Cricket fans are curious to know, who is the guy Raghu Sharma? Some videos of his bowling are now surfacing on the internet. A couple of videos in the content below are attached. Sharma has an impressive run for Punjab in domestic cricket. The 32-year-old leg-break bowler took wickets at regular intervals in recent times.

Watch here how Raghu took wicket for Punjab

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Raghu Shivam Sharma (@raghu_sharma23)

In the video, attached with the content, we can see how the spinner befouled a batter with his googly. The batter clearly misread the delivery, and the ball lashes on the stumps. The Punjab-born bowler is a new face in the Indian Premier League but well known in domestic cricket, having played 11 first-class, 9 List A, and 3 T20 matches for Punjab and Pondicherry. He has a record of taking 5 wickets 5 times and 10 wickets in his first-class career for three times. 

Another wicket for Raghu!

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Raghu Shivam Sharma (@raghu_sharma23)

Mumbai Indians (MI) have confirmed that talented left-arm wristspinner Vignesh Puthur has been ruled out of the rest of IPL 2025 after suffering bone stress reactions in both his shins. In his stead, the franchise has signed uncapped legspinner Raghu Sharma, who makes his first foray into the Indian Premier League.

Puthur, who made an impressive debut earlier this season, caught attention with a three-wicket haul against Chennai Super Kings. In his five matches for MI, he picked up six wickets with an economy rate of 9.08. Despite the setback, the franchise confirmed that Puthur will stay on with the squad to continue his rehabilitation under the supervision of the Mumbai Indians’ medical and strength & conditioning team.

"Vignesh will continue to be with the team to focus on his recovery and rehabilitation," MI stated. The 23-year-old, son of an auto-rickshaw driver, was one of MI’s standout rookie stories this season and quickly became a fan favorite.

ALSO SEE:'Used to take injections and play'— RCB star reveals his tough days fighting against medical issues

Sharma Joins Mumbai Indians Squad Ahead of Crucial Matches

Taking his place in the squad is 32-year-old Raghu Sharma, a right-arm leg-break bowler from Jalandhar, Punjab. Sharma has previously represented Punjab and Puducherry in domestic cricket. Though this is his first official IPL stint, he has been part of the Mumbai Indians' net bowling group and joins the main squad at his base price of INR 30 lakh.

With solid domestic credentials, Sharma brings experience to the side. In 11 first-class matches, he has claimed 57 wickets at an average of 19.59, including best bowling figures of 7 for 56. In the List A format, he has 14 wickets from nine games, and in the T20 format, he has three wickets from as many appearances.

MI have turned their season around after a sluggish start, having now won five consecutive matches and climbing to third on the points table with 12 points from ten games. With Sharma coming in, the team will be hoping to maintain their winning momentum as they head toward the business end of the tournament.