Mumbai Indians have signed leg-spinner Raghu Sharma as a replacement for the injured Vignesh Puthur for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Raghu Sharma, a 31-year-old right-arm leg-break bowler from Jalandhar, has played domestic cricket for Punjab and Puducherry.

He brings an impressive first-class record, having taken 57 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 19.59, including best figures of 7/56. He also has 14 wickets from 9 List A games and 3 wickets in as many T20 appearances. This will be Sharma's first stint in the IPL. He joins Mumbai Indians at his base price of Rs 30 lakh from the RAPP list.

The injury setback came just as Vignesh Puthur was beginning to make his mark in the tournament. Vignesh made his IPL debut in MI's season opener against Chennai Super Kings in March, where he impressed with a three-wicket haul. He went on to play five matches, finishing with six wickets before his campaign was cut short due to injury.

Despite being sidelined, Vignesh will remain with the squad and focus on his recovery under the supervision of the Mumbai Indians' medical and strength & conditioning team. The franchise has expressed its support for the 22-year-old as he begins his rehabilitation process.

The five-time champions have turned their season around with five straight wins after managing just one victory in their first five games. Historically, Mumbai Indians have been a force once they find momentum-on four out of five occasions when they've won five matches in a row during a season, they've gone on to lift the trophy.