Vishal Nishad worked as labourer with his father:Coach says Punjab Kings got mystery spinner like Varun Chakaravarthy

22-year-old spinner Vishal Nishad, hailing from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, was signed by the Punjab Kings team for 30 lakh rupees in the IPL 2026 auction on 16 December. Vishal’s father supported his family by working as a labourer and his coach Kalyan Singh played a huge role in his success. Speaking to Bhaskar in an exclusive interview, Singh said, “Three years ago, I saw some children playing cricket with a tennis ball in Gorakhpur. My eyes fell on a boy. He was bowling excellent spin. That’s when I asked him to train at Sanskruti Cricket Academy. This is where Vishal’s cricket journey began.” Also read: Varun Chakaravarthy becomes highest-rated Indian T20I bowler of all-time: Records career-best 818 ratings; Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli remain 1 2 in ODI rankings
Vishal made it to UP T20 league in one year Vishal’s coach said- ‘I came to know from the conversation that Vishal belongs to a very poor family. His father, Umesh Nishad, is a mason. Vishal also used to work as a labourer with him. When asked if he would let Vishal’s father play cricket, the 20-year-old’s father said, “What will cricket give?” Singh noticed a lot of potential in Vishal and asked his father to give him just one year to prove his point. After that, Vishal left labour work and focused entirely on cricket, working hard day and night. Vishal’s hard work bore fruit as he got an opportunity to play for Gaur Gorakhpur Lions in the UP T20 League. In the first season, he got a chance to play only 4 matches, in which he took 8 wickets. In the second season, he was retained by Gorakhpur Lions and played a limited number of matches. Also read: Probable playing 12 of all IPL teams after auction:Will Sanju Samson replace MS Dhoni behind stumps, Rohit Sharma to open with Quinton de Kock ‘Mystery spinner like Varun Chakravarthy’ Coach Singh says that Vishal is a mystery spinner like Varun Chakravarthy. He believes that Vishal will perform even better in the coming time and may soon get a chance to play for Team India.