Coming into the IPL 2026 season, RCB’s bowling attack was lacking certain components. They initially did not have Josh Hazlewood, but his replacement was Jacob Duffy. However, the other missing element was a third fast bowler 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 performing well in the death overs. But due to off-field reasons, Dayal was not a part of the RCB team this year. To fill this void they needed to find someone from among themselves.

RCB vs LSG: highlighted | Achievement:

Abhinandan Singh got the first chance, but he could not live up to the expectations. The next option could have been Mangesh Yadav, as he is a left-arm fast bowler, but RCB chose Rasikh Salam instead.

Baroda’s fast bowlers have been around IPL Circuit played for MI, KKR and DC for a long time before moving to RCB. Until last season, he seemed to never find a permanent place in any team, often being used as a marginal player. But now it seems to have changed.

In the game against MI, he was used as a defensive option by Patidar to ensure that runs did not come easily. He gave away 23 runs in his 2.5 overs and also took one wicket before leaving the field due to injury.

He was ready for the challenge once again in Chinnaswamy against LSG on Wednesday, April 16, and knew he had to make a statement. He saw how his senior players, Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar, were doing their job on the difficult Bengaluru track.

His first wicket was lucky, as Aiden Markram got a leading edge from a full toss down the leg side. But he then bowled a brilliant second over against big-hitters Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran, conceding just two runs to signal the end of the powerplay.

The wicket of Ayush Badoni was all about using conditions to your advantage – something you often see in Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar.

But it was his duel with Mukul Choudhary that became India Today’s game of the day for the clash in Chinnaswamy.

Rasikh defeats Mukul in stand-off

This was unlike any other innings Mukul in his short IPL career so far When he came out, LSG were in trouble. He started with a four, but had to be careful with his approach.

This was not Eden’s pitch and the bowling attack looked much more disciplined with its plans. The LSG youngster scored 33 runs in 26 balls and looked ready to explode.

This was the last over of the innings and Mukul was always looking to play a big innings. Patidar handed over the responsibility of closing things down to Rasikh.

There was a stalemate and Rasikh’s first ball was slow. Mukul seemed to have enough time to play two shots and he produced the power to send it into the crowd.

Fans were expecting a big over and Mukul looked determined to perform well. But then, Rasikh bowled a full delivery which went through Mukul’s legs and hit the leg stump.

The beauty of delivery lies in planning. Realizing that a slower ball was expected, the RCB fast bowler bowled faster and touched 139 kmph.

He could have stuck to his original plan, but instead he troubled Mukul by pitching a bit down the leg side. The change in pace made all the difference and he got the wicket.

Rasikh finished the over with another brilliant yorker, this time removing Avesh Khan’s off stump. He took 4 wickets for 24 runs in his four overs and earned praise from Master Hazlewood himself.

“Rasikh obviously didn’t play the first few games but got picked in the last two and he’s been home training. He’s got some good skills. We’ve seen that in the last few games. He bowls tough overs as well. It’s a big tournament for Rasikh,” Hazlewood said.

With RCB firmly on course to retain their crown, a bowler like Rasikh could prove to be the difference in the end. After years of bouncing between teams, he finally found a home and earned the trust of the RCB faithful.

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