MI-snubbed star scripts history in VHT 2025-26, becomes 1st player in the world to bag this feat

The 24-year-old spin sensation Vignesh Puthur made a historic List A debut for Kerala during their Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group A match against Tripura in Ahmedabad.

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While Kerala secured a dominant 145-run victory, the spotlight belonged to Puthur. He is the same Puthur, who turned heads in the IPL 2025 by taking a sizzling six-fer for Mumbai Indians. However, Rajasthan Royals turned his new abode after MI released the young gun before the IPL 2026 auction. The Malappuram native, who was recently acquired by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 30 lakh in the IPL 2026 auction, became the first cricketer in the world to claim six catches as a non-wicketkeeper in a single List A match.

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Vignesh Puthur takes six catches on his List A debut

Puthur’s extraordinary fielding display included five catches off the bats of his teammates' deliveries and one caught-and-bowled off his own bowling. By reaching this milestone, he surpassed a record previously shared by some of the game's most iconic fielders. Most notably, he broke the long-standing record held by South African legend Jonty Rhodes, who took five catches against the West Indies at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium back in 1993.

The feat of five catches in an innings had only been matched a few times in recent history before Puthur’s breakout performance. England’s Harry Brook achieved the mark against the West Indies in May 2025, and Arien Sangma recorded five catches for Meghalaya against Sikkim earlier in January 2025. By claiming a sixth, Puthur has set a new global benchmark for excellence in the field, marking his transition from the Mumbai Indians to the Rajasthan Royals with an unforgettable performance.

Puthur’s record-breaking day began early in the Tripura innings, despite him not getting an opportunity to contribute with the bat. He claimed his first catch in the 11th over by dismissing opening batter Udiyan Bose for 29 runs with a sharp caught-and-bowled. While he remained relatively quiet in the field for the middle portion of the game, he completely dominated the final stages of the match.

Puthur accounted for the final five wickets of the innings in less than seven overs. He proved to be a magnet for the ball, particularly during Baba Aparajith’s spells, where he successfully held onto chances to dismiss Swapnil Singh, Saurabh Das, Abhijit Sarkar, and Viki Saha. He also secured the catch of Sridam Paul off the bowling of Ankit Kumar, effectively single-handedly cleaning up the tail through his elite fielding.