IPL: From 140s to 150kmph? Punjab Kings pacer sets big target for himself
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.