Who is Vishal Nishad? 5 interesting facts about PBKS' uncapped signing at IPL 2026 Auction

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) brought a fresh dimension for success with their runners-up finish in the IPL 2025 season. The franchise had endured a nightmare of a decade since their final run in 2014, before a massive change in strategy last season.

PBKS invested heavily in youth and uncapped Indian players in their starting 11, and the results pleasantly exceeded even the loftiest of expectations. Thus, it came as no surprise that the still-title-less franchise continued targeting uncapped Indian cricketers in the recent 2026 auction.

Both their Indian acquisitions in the auction were uncapped players, with one being the relatively unknown Vishal Nishad. Still to turn 21, Vishal is seen as a worthy addition to PBKS' leg-spin department, alongside the legendary Yuzvendra Chahal.

On that note, let us find out more about PBKS' latest uncapped signing, Vishal Nishad, by discovering five interesting facts about the young leg-spinner.

#1 Struggles behind a mere tennis-ball to leather-ball switch

Most young Indian players face massive struggles in their journey from childhood to a lucrative IPL contract. Vishal Nishad is no different, as he faced financial issues merely to switch from tennis-ball to leather-ball cricket.

Growing up in a small village near Gorakhpur, tennis ball cricket on uneven surfaces was all that the youngster knew, thanks to his lack of affordability for a leather ball.

"I didn’t have the money even to buy basic equipment," recalled Vishal in an interview (via Money Control).

Vishal's coach, Kalyan Singh, did not charge any fee to train him for three years, knowing the former's financial struggles.

#2 Vishal Nishad's interesting journey to landing an IPL contract

Vishal Nishad's path towards an IPL contract involved impressing several key members of the PBKS support staff. Despite starting his leather-ball cricket only four years back, the 20-year-old went up the ranks rapidly and became a vital cog in the Gorakhpur Lions (UPT20 League) setup.

Uttar Pradesh skipper Ankit Rajpoor, who is also the PBKS' scout, pushed Vishal's case with head coach Ricky Ponting.

"Vishal impressed me a lot when I held the trials for the Gorakhpur Lions in Gorakhpur ahead of the UPT20 League in 2024, and from that day onwards, I thought this boy could make it to an IPL side. It wasn’t easy at all, as first the bowler was put through the motions with the Andhra Pradesh team as a net bowler during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy early this month, and he was watched by AP’s mentor and assistant coach of Punjab Kings, Trevor Gonsalves, in the nets," said Rajpoot (via Hindustan Times).

He added:

"Thereafter, my suggestion, supported by pics and videos, met the expectations of Ricky Ponting and Punjab Kings’ bowling coach and former India star Sairaj Bahutule."

Vishal is yet to even play a single game for Uttar Pradesh in any of the three formats. However, he has joined the Uttar Pradesh camp for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy.

#3 A Virat Kohli fanboy

The growing trend of up-and-coming young Indian players idolizing the legendary Virat Kohli continues with Vishal Nishad being the latest addition. In a recent interview, the young leg-spinner spoke about wanting to be like Kohli from his school days.

"I always wanted to be a cricketer like Virat Kohli even from my school days. I would love to bowl to him, if God gives this opportunity to me in my life ever. For cricket, I left my studies after 12th and don’t miss matches of Kohli," said Vishal (via the aforementioned source).

Kohli is among the most accomplished batters in cricket history, with almost 28,000 runs and 84 centuries.

#4 UP League heroics

The intangibles aside, Vishal Nishad's most noteworthy performances to date have come in the 2024 UP T20 League for Gorakhpur Lions. The 20-year-old picked up seven wickets in four games at an excellent average of 14 and an economy of only seven.

Vishal's best spell of bowling in the tournament was the 3/45 in four overs against the Noida Kings. In that game, the young leggie dismissed one of the veteran IPL stars, Nitish Rana, for just 14.

#5 The next Varun Chakaravarthy?

Ankit Rajpoot, who played a huge role in Vishal Nishad's progress as a cricketer, compared the youngster's bowling style to the T20 star Varun Chakaravarthy. Incidentally, Varun's IPL debut came with PBKS, the franchise that signed Vishal in the 2026 auction.

"What I like most about Vishal is his bowling style. He is a mystery bowler like Varun Chakravarthy and Ajantha Mendis, and it’s hard to read his length with his style of gripping the ball. He is the most unpredictable spinner, who can hit your stumps from anywhere," said Rajpoot.

Varun has transformed into a world-beater in the T20 format and is currently the No. 1-ranked bowler in T20Is.