Some bowlers just take wickets, but others completely gut an innings from the inside out. On 31 March 2026, during IPL Match 4 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, Vijaykumar Vyshak did exactly that. His 19th-over dismantling of the Gujarat Titans' late-game platform was so clinical that GT finished on 162/6. It is a total way below what their hot start promised. With three wickets in the over and two falling to the same fielder, here is how he tore the script up.
The Platform GT Had Built
The Titans looked on track for much more than 162 early on. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan came out swinging, hitting 35/0 in just three overs before Marco Jansen bounced out Sudharsan. Gill kept things moving while Jos Buttler anchored the middle with a steady 38, eventually falling to Chahal. Glenn Phillips added a brisk 25 but mistimed a Vyshak delivery to the deep, giving the bowler his first scalp. GT still had Washington Sundar and Shahrukh Khan left to launch a final assault past 180, but neither could get going.
The 19th Over: Ball-by-Ball
This is where the game flipped. Sundar had been struggling to find his timing and finally fell to a Vyshak knuckleball for 18. He read the change of pace too late, fetching a ball from outside off and lofting it tamely to Arshdeep Singh at deep point. Four balls later, Shahrukh Khan tried to slog-sweep a full delivery toward the big square-leg boundary. He didn't get enough of it, and Arshdeep was there again to pouch a safe catch. Shahrukh left for just 4, leaving GT stranded at 150/6.
What Made the Spell Work?
Vyshak’s success came down to a mix of three weapons. First was the knuckleball, delivered with a seam-up arm speed that forced batters to commit too early. Second was the slower short ball wide of off-stump, which baited batters into high, mistimed lofts. Finally, his tactical targeting of the offside forced cross-bat shots toward the longer boundaries.
He didn't just hunt for yorkers on a sluggish surface; he read the pitch and leaned into pace-off variations. Finishing with 3/34, Vyshak proved he belongs among the IPL’s elite death bowlers. His ability to shut down set batters through pure intelligence is exactly what wins titles. Punjab Kings know they’ve found a gem.
