Coming into the IPL 2026 season, RCB’s bowling attack was missing a few components. They didn’t have Josh Hazlewood initially, but had a replacement sorted in Jacob Duffy. However, the other missing element was a third pacer to complement Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Yash Dayal played this role in their title-winning campaign last year, often coming in as a defensive option and delivering at the death. But for reasons outside of the field, Dayal wasn’t part of the RCB squad this year. They needed to find someone within their ranks to fill the void.
The first opportunity went to Abhinandan Singh, but he failed to live up to expectations. The next option could have been Mangesh Yadav, given he is a left-arm pacer, but RCB opted for Rasikh Salam instead.
The Baroda pacer has been around the IPL circuit for quite some time, playing for MI, KKR and DC before his move to RCB. Until last season, it seemed like he never found a permanent spot in any side, often being used as a fringe player. But that now seems to have changed.
In the game against MI, he was used as a defensive option by Patidar to ensure runs didn’t come easily. He conceded 23 runs in his 2.5 overs and picked up a wicket before leaving the field with an injury.
He was ready for the task once again at Chinnaswamy against LSG on Wednesday, April 16, and knew he had to make a statement. He observed how his senior pros, Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar, went about their work on a sticky Bengaluru track.
His first wicket was a fortunate one, as Aiden Markram found a leading edge off a full toss on the leg side. But he followed it up with a superb second over against big-hitters Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran, conceding just two runs to signal the end of the powerplay.
The Ayush Badoni wicket was all about using the conditions to his advantage—something you often see from Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar.
But it was his duel with Mukul Choudhary that stood out as India Today’s Play Of The Day for the clash at Chinnaswamy.
RASIKH BEATS MUKUL IN STAND-OFF
It was unlike any innings Mukul had played in his short IPL career so far, as LSG were in trouble when he walked out. He started with a boundary, but had to be cautious with his approach.
This wasn’t the Eden pitch, and the bowling attack appeared far more disciplined with their plans. The LSG youngster worked his way to 33 off 26 balls and looked ready to explode.
It was the final over of the innings, and Mukul was always looking to go big. Patidar handed Rasikh the responsibility of closing things out.
The stand-off was underway, and Rasikh’s first delivery was a slower one. Mukul seemed to have enough time to play two shots and generated the power to send it into the crowd.
Fans expected a big over, and Mukul looked determined to deliver. But then, Rasikh produced a full delivery that went through Mukul’s legs and crashed into the leg stump.
The beauty of the delivery lay in the planning. Sensing that the slower ball was being anticipated, the RCB pacer went quick—touching 139 kmph.
He could have stuck to his original plan, but instead baited Mukul by pitching it slightly on the leg side. The change in pace made all the difference and brought him the wicket.
Rasikh capped off the over with another superb yorker, this time removing Avesh Khan’s off stump. He finished with figures of 4 for 24 in his four overs and earned praise from the master himself, Hazlewood.
“Rasikh obviously missed the first few games but selected in the last couple and he’s training the house down. He’s got some nice skills. We’ve seen that in the last few games. Bowls the hard overs as well. It’s a big tournament for Rasikh,” said Hazlewood.
With RCB firmly on the march to retaining their crown, a bowler like Rasikh could prove to be the difference in the end. After years of drifting between teams, he finally seems to have found a home and earned the trust of the RCB faithful.
