RCB players will be wearing jersey no. 11 in tournament opener. (Photo Credits: Screengrab/X)
For any new bowler who is making his way into competitive cricket, the idea of getting a big player out always revolves around the head. The same is the case for Punjab Kings’ recruit Vishal Nishad, who will face his idol Virat Kohli twice in the upcoming season of IPL. Vishal, who has been signed for a base price of Rs 30 lakh by PBKS, will pose his challenge as a mystery spinner against his opponents.
Notably, Vishal went unsold in the first phase but eventually got picked by the Shreyas Iyer-led side. A self-proclaimed fan of Kohli, Vishal wanted to number his jersey (18), but teammate and opener Priyansh Arya had already reserved it for himself. The 20-year-old then opted for number 81 on his jersey.
“I haven’t met him yet, but I will face him twice this season,” said Nishad, while speaking on PBKS’ YouTube channel.
“Off the field I will talk to him, try to learn from him,” he said.
“On the field — same attitude. I will still try to get him out.”
Before the mini auction, Nishad was a relatively unknown player, but PBKS had their eyes on him. His dad is a painter in Madraha, a tiny village 13 km from Gokarhpur. He started playing with the leather ball just four years back, and swiftly emerged as an essential part of the Gokarkhpur Lions team, a franchise in the UPT20 League.
Ankit Rajpoot, the former skipper of Uttar Pradesh and a scout for PBKS, supported him, and ultimately, he was signed by the franchise signing him. Rajpoot is the head coach for the Gorakhpur Lions as well.
A standout product of a local T20 league and as a testament to perseverance, Nishad joined the Kings, following a journey marked by grit and family sacrifice.
“There were tough times. I used to go with my father and help him [with work]. I even thought I’d quit cricket,” Nishad recalled. “My mother told me to leave it and learn something else because becoming a cricketer is so difficult. But I didn’t give up. I told her, ‘Mom, I will definitely do it.’ Once they saw my resolve, my family stood behind me.”
Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Pravin Dubey, Vishal Nishad, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Priyansh Arya, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Mitch Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Vishnu Vinod, Prabhsimran Singh
Vishal Pushkar is a Chief Sub-Editor with NewsX and has been associated with the company since March 2026. He has been working as a journalist since 2021. His experience includes working with Zee Media, Amazon and Dainik Jagran. Vishal holds a BA (English Honours) degree from Shyam Lal College, University of Delhi and a Post-Graduate Diploma from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi. Vishal has completed a beginner’s course in the German language as well.
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