Who is Vyshak Vijay Kumar? All you need to know about RCB’s replacement for Rajat Patidar in IPL 2023
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) named Vyshak Vijay Kumar on Friday, April 7, as a replacement for the injured batter Rajat Patidar for the remainder of the ongoing IPL 2023. The development comes as Patidar has been ruled out of the T20 tournament due to an Achilles heel injury.
For the uninitiated, Vyshak Vijay Kumar represents Karnataka in domestic cricket. So far, he has scalped 22 wickets in 14 T20s at a promising economy rate of 6.92. The right-arm medium pacer has also picked up 38 and 11 wickets in 10 first-class and seven List-A games, respectively.
The 26-year-old recently scalped a fifer against Chattisgarh and two four-wicket hauls against Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy. He will now look to translate his domestic success into the IPL. Vyshak has joined the Bengaluru-based franchise for a base price of Rs 20 lakh.
Meanwhile, South Africa all-rounder Wayne Parnell has replaced England speedster Reece Topley in the RCB squad for IPL 2023. This came after Topley suffered a shoulder injury while fielding during the RCB’s opening game against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Sunday, April 2.
In an official announcement on Twitter, RCB wrote:
“South African all-rounder Wayne Parnell and Karnataka pacer Vyshak Vijaykumar replace Reece Topley and Rajat Patidar, respectively, for the remainder of IPL 2023.”
ANNOUNCEMENT 
🔊 ANNOUNCEMENT 🔊
South African all-rounder Wayne Parnell and Karnataka pacer Vyshak Vijaykumar replace Reece Topley and Rajat Patidar respectively for the remainder of #IPL2023.
Welcome to #ನಮ್ಮRCB, @WayneParnell and Vyshak! 🙌
#PlayBold https://t.co/DtVKapPSAY
Click here to check out when Wanindu Hasaranga and Josh Hazlewood will join RCB.
“I hope I can get to that level in the coming year” - Vyshak Vijay Kumar on Prasidh Krishna
Vyshak Vijay Kumar has previously worked as a net bowler with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2023, bowling to Andre Russell and Shubman Gill, among others. He wants to bowl like Prasidh Krishna, who has established himself as one of the best bowlers in the T20 extravaganza.
Speaking recently to Sportskeeda, Vyshak said:
“It was a huge opportunity for me, no doubt. I was thrilled to be among such elite cricketers and I learned so much just by being a part of the team. Prasidh was also a part of KKR and I've always been very comfortable talking to him about my career, he's also been extremely helpful.”
He continued:
“Watching Prasidh run into bowl in the IPL has been nothing short of an adrenaline rush for me, and I hope I can get to that level in the coming year.”
For the uninitiated, Prasidh Krishna has been ruled out of IPL 2023 due to a lumbar stress fracture. The 27-year-old is currently undergoing rehabilitation.
Check out Vyshak Vijay Kumar’s full interview here.