Kamal Ghorui
Vijaykumar Vyshak has made a steady start to IPL 2026, and the Punjab Kings pacer said he is working on increasing his pace and adding more variations to stay effective in the competition.Vyshak has taken five wickets in two matches so far, already improving on his previous season where he picked up four wickets in five games. He began his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2023 before moving to Punjab Kings.
The 29-year-old has used wide yorkers and slower bouncers this season. In the last match against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai, he dismissed Ayush Mhatre and Sarfaraz Khan, helping restrict the opposition to 209 for five, which Punjab Kings chased.Punjab Kings have used him in all phases of the innings, and Vyshak said he is comfortable taking on that role. With teams relying heavily on video analysis, he believes regular improvement is necessary.“I’m not as fast as people are bowling now. People are bowling 154, 155. I’m someone who can bowl 140, 143, 144. But yeah, for me, I think I love challenges. So it doesn’t matter where I bowl,” Vyshak was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.“It doesn’t matter if you have to bowl three overs in the powerplay or four overs in the death overs. As long as I am contributing to the team,” he said during a media interaction before the match against Kolkata Knight Riders.Vyshak, who plays all formats, received his first India call-up for the T20 tour of South Africa in 2024 but did not feature in a match. He said playing Test cricket remains his main goal, while also wanting to represent India in T20s.“When you start playing cricket, you always look to play Test matches for the Indian team. I think that is something that still gives me chills that, when I think about wearing that Indian cap for playing a Test for my country. But I think now the format that we’re playing, yes, I want to do well in that,” he said.He also said he has drawn inspiration from his Punjab Kings teammate Arshdeep Singh.During the off-season, Vyshak worked with his coaches and teammates in Karnataka to prepare for the IPL.“Without working, you can’t be playing in such a big, big stage. I seriously think that whatever you’ve been practising and whatever you’ve been doing the right things, I think that is what is going to reflect in your games as well.“Thankfully, I have some nice coaches back home also. And I have some inspiration from my Karnataka seniors who’ve been doing really well.“And even during the domestic season, I think I was the lead bowler. So I wanted to take charge and I wanted to do well for the team. We didn’t qualify but I gained a lot of confidence there and I did what I’m supposed to do. Domestic cricket is something where you actually can gain your confidence because you know how good cricket is in India.”On adding more skills to his bowling, he said:“Variations, yes, of course, whenever you come for a new season, you have to be prepared. Every team has a video analyst. You just have to keep getting better and better. So I always make sure that whenever I come, I have a new delivery for myself.“So yeah, that is what I’ve been trying on. Yes, of course, I’ve been trying to get more better and better a couple of more slower ones or maybe a couple of more variations. So hopefully, I can, maybe I can get it this season,” he added.Vyshak also said the Impact Player rule, introduced in 2023, has helped players like him get opportunities, even as some players such as Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have raised concerns about it.
