‘Shreyas Iyer will be Indian captain soon’:PBKS star Vijaykumar Vyshak speaks on Test aspirations, being inspired by Arshdeep Singh

Finalists in 2025, Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings (PBKS) already look to be one of the most complete teams in IPL 2026, although these are still early days. In two matches, PBKS have displayed all-round performances to come out on top and now sit fourth on the IPL 2026 points table. And Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy has been a big factor behind the Punjab Kings establishing themselves as a solid title contender. Roped in for a whopping ₹26.75 crore at the IPL 2025 auction, Iyer repaid the faith by guiding Punjab Kings to the final last year. Had PBKS not fallen agonisingly short in the final, Iyer would have become the first captain to win back-to-back IPL titles with two separate teams after leading the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to glory in 2024. Punjab Kings’ bowler Vijaykumar Vyshak feels that Iyer is well on his way to becoming the Indian captain soon. He also spoke about the atmosphere in the Punjab Kings dressing room and his Test cricket aspirations. ‘Shreyas Iyer will be Indian captain soon’ Speaking during a media interaction, Vyshak opened up on Iyer being a big source of support in the dressing room, lauding the Indian star’s captaincy skills. “If you see in the ground as well, he’s been very supportive. I think he’s someone who’s always backed his bowlers and players. He is someone who keeps the environment very, very light. I can go and talk to him whenever I want, his door is always open,” Vyshak said. “He’s done exceptionally well in this format (T20). And, you know, he’s been playing for India and I’m sure he’ll be the Indian captain soon,” the young bowler added. Despite leading in less than 100 matches, Iyer has already become the fifth-most successful captain in the tournament, sitting behind greats like MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. The Punjab Kings captain has an excellent win%, which sits at 56.17%. Vyshak aspires to play Test cricket Vyshak might not be the fastest bowler around, but that has not stopped his progress. The Karnataka pacer was signed by RCB in 2023 as a replacement player for an injured Rajat Patidar and since then, has gone on to feature in 18 matches, where he has picked up 22 wickets with his best performance being 3/20. The 29-year-old pacer said that he relishes the challenge of bowling in all phases, seeking to make the most of every opportunity that comes his way. “I think I love challenges. So it doesn’t matter where I bowl. It doesn’t matter if I have to bowl three overs in the powerplay or four overs in the death overs. So as long as I am contributing to the team and as long as I am doing what I’m supposed to do, I’m happy with that,” he said. While acknowledging that he isn’t the fastest bowler around, Vyshak shared that he aspires to play Test cricket. “When you start playing cricket, I think you always look to play the test matches for the Indian team. I think that is something that still gives me chills, that, you know, when I think about wearing that Indian cap and playing a Test match for my country. Vyshak is one of the most improved bowlers from last season. In 2025, the Karnataka pacer featured in five matches where he picked up four wickets. And this year, he has already picked up five wickets in just three matches and is among the highest wicket-takers. When asked as to what he had done differently, Vyshak said, “Well, firstly, I mean, I had the same approach last year and this year as well. So whatever is required for the team, I want to make sure that I can put in some effort and some contribution to the team’s victory. So I think that is more important than wickets.” Also read: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma make the cut, no Abhishek: Sameer Rizvi, Ravi Bishnoi standout performers; IPL’s best XI from week 1 ‘Getting opportunities because of Impact Player rule’ The Impact Player has been a topic of much discussion and debate in the past few weeks, with several IPL team captains openly expressing their dislike for the innovation. But Vyshak won’t complain. The reason? He has been the beneficiary of the Impact Player rule, often being used as an additional bowling option for the Punjab Kings. “I think I can’t be commenting on that because I’ve been getting opportunities because of this impact role. So I’m very happy that, you know, there’s an extra player coming in and, you know, getting another opportunity. So I look at it that way. I’m glad that I’m getting opportunities because of that,” he said. Inspiration from Arshdeep Vyshak also shared how everyone in the dressing room is supportive of each other. Iyer, after the win over the Chennai Super Kings on 4 April, had said that the PBKS players played to impress not the outsiders but each other. Vyshak explained that comment and said that everyone in the team stands up for each other. When asked if he was inspired by a particular teammate, Vyshak singled out Arshdeep Singh. “Arshdeep has inspired me a lot,” he said.