IPL 2023: Karnataka pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak shines on debut for RCB

Right-arm medium pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak announced his arrival on the big stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in style as he picked three wickets and played a crucial role in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 23-run win over Delhi Capitals on Saturday, on his debut in the cash-rich league.

The 26-year-old Vyshak, who hails from Karnataka, was drafted into RCB’s side as a replacement for the injured Rajat Patidar after performing brilliantly in domestic cricket and he delivered for the team in his very first outing.

The pacer dismissed the likes of David Warner, Axar Patel, and Lalit Yadav to claim superb bowling figures of 3-20 in four overs, which is the best spell by an Indian bowler on debut for the RCB.

The 26-year-old may not have the express pace but he mixed his lengths, varied his pace cleverly and bowled a perfect knuckleball with perfection.

“I didn’t know about that (on having the best bowling figures on debut for an RCB bowler). I 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,” said Vyshak at the post-match presentation.

The fast bowler also revealed that he was with RCB as a net bowler before getting his opportunity and skipper Faf’s suggestions have helped him.

“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 said.

Before playing IPL, Vyshak represented Karnataka in 10 first-class matches and took 38 wickets, which speaks volumes about his talent. He also has 11 wickets in seven List A matches.

As far as T20s is concerned, he has played 14 matches for Karnataka in the shortest format, taking 22 wickets.

-IANS

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