Indian bowlers are always in demand in Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions. But Vijaykumar Vyshak had to swallow the bitter pill as no franchise showed interest in him despite an impressive run in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). But such is the nature of IPL that players get a second chance if someone gets injured. Karnataka pacer was one of them as he walked into the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad as replacement for their star batter Rajat Patidar.
Before donning the RCB colours, Vyshak had trials with franchises like Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Before getting a contract, he was with RCB as a net bowler and when they needed a replacement, they did not have to look too far. He was roped in for his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
The 26-year-old made his IPL debut against Delhi Capitals (DC) at their homeground M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. The only Karnataka player in the playing eleven, Vyshak was introduced in the sixth over by Faf du Plessis and he did not take much time to strike. His maiden IPL wicket was that of DC skipper David Warner. The Australian opener was deceived by the lack of pace and handed an easy catch to Virat Kohli.
He was brought back into the attack in the 10th over and kept set batter Manish Pandey and in-form Axar Patel quiet. He got the ball in 13th over and got hit by Axar for a boundary. As Vyshak said after the match, the skipper suggested bowling a no-ball to the southpaw. Vyshak executed it to perfection and Patel got caught at extra cover by Mohammed Siraj.
He bowled his last over in the 16th over. He signed off with the wicket of Lalit Yadav. In his full quota of four overs, he conceded just 18 runs and took three wickets. The bowling figures are exceptional considering the nature of pitch and how small the boundaries are.
They are also the best bowling figures by a RCB bowler on debut. Vyshak was surprised with the feat he achieved as he told the broadcasters, “I didn't know about that, have been working hard for the opportunity.”
“Faf came and told me the wicket was holding up a bit, so I went with the hard lengths and slower balls which worked well. I've been working on these variations for the last couple of years. I wanted to bowl the knuckle ball, but Faf came up with suggestions on how to go about on this pitch. The management backed me well and Faf came up with suggestions often to help me. I was with the team as a net bowler,” he added.
Before making his IPL debut, Vyshak had taken 15 wickets from eight games at an average of 12.20 in SMAT 2022. He finished fifth on the list of highest wicket-takers for Karnataka side. His overall T20 economy rate is also impressive at 6.78 runs per over. Earlier, he had proven his mettle in Maharaja T20 Trophy for Mangalore United and Mysore Warriors.
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