Vyshak Vijaykumar is one of the most promising young talents that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have taken into their wings.
The Bengaluru-born burst onto the scene during the IPL 2023 season and impressed everyone in his debut game against Delhi Capitals (DC).
RCB posted just 174 for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs and it looked like they fell plenty short on a belter at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The task of defending the total against a batting line-up comprising names like Mitchell Marsh, David Warner, and Prithvi Shaw among others was always going to be arduous.
However, a disciplined bowling spell by Vyshak Vijaykumar turned the entire complexion of the game as he bagged the key wicket of Warner up front to deny Delhi an ideal start.
He came back towards the fag end of the innings and sent the dangerous-looking Axar Patel packing. Axar’s wicket was a major blow for Delhi as the southpaw was batting on 21 off just 14 balls and was threatening to take the game away from the hosts.
Emboldened by Axar’s wicket, Vijaykumar got rid of Lalit Yadav too and sealed the game in RCB’s favour.
He finished with figures of 3/20 and was the pick of the RCB bowlers.
Vijaykumar enjoyed a memorable season with RCB and claimed nine wickets in seven games.
However, it may intrigue many that no franchise had raised a paddle to bid for the fast bowler at the IPL 2023 auction.
It came as a surprise to many as he bagged 15 wickets in eight games at an impressive economy rate of 6.31 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that preceded the auction.
Hence, when RCB named him as the replacement for Rajat Patidar, it turned many heads.
Fast forward to IPL 2024, Vyshak Vijaykumar has not received as many opportunities as he would have liked due to RCB’s playing combination but continues to toil hard in the nets and can bag the big bucks at the IPL 2025 mega auction.
