Yash Raj Punja: ‘Terrible’ start, transformation under Bharuch, Alastair Cook’s ‘X-factor’ remark

Yash Punja, centre, celebrates with his teammate after dismissing Nicholas Pooran of Lucknow Super Giants during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals (RR) are just one win away from sealing a place in the IPL 2026 playoffs, moving closer to the much-awaited IPL title. However, it will definitely not be easy against the Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) who will be eager to end their season on a high. While the likes of Jofra Archer and Ravindra Jadeja are certainly eye-catchers, 20-year-old leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja has been the unheralded game-changer. Abu Dhabi-born Punja has picked six wickets in five matches this season, maintaining an economy rate of 8.35. The leg-spinner particularly excelled in his performance in RR’s last match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where he bowled Josh Inglis, who turned out to be the pick of the bowlers.While the 6ft 5in tall Punja impressed everyone in his first IPL season, his early days as a cricketer were very tough to say the least. Sandeep Dhuri, a coach at the Zayed Cricket Academy in Abu Dhabi, where the leg-spinner joined at the age of 7, said there was “absolutely nothing” in him cricket-wise. Dhuri further added that Punja was terrible at first but was able to pick up skills quickly.“Switch from pace to leg spin”“I started off as a fast bowler but decided to switch to leg-spinner based on cues from the coach at Gary Kirsten’s cricket academy in South Africa. He told me that I have much more potential as a spinner, which I thought was quite a big deal, prompting the change,” said the RR leg-spinner during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.While Punja initially played cricket with enough focus on academics, a major turning point soon came after he was spotted by former Karnataka head coach Karthik Jeshwanth. The leg-spinner impressed Jeshwanth with his bounce and urged him to approach the RR cricketer’s parents to give cricket a real taste. Panja’s parents were very skeptical about going all out at the expense of academics, given that his brother Yodhin struggled with injuries that eventually led to his early retirement.A note on Alastair Cook’s X-factorHowever, Jeshwanth managed to convince them of Yash’s potential, paving the way for more focus on the game. “Former England captain Alastair Cook described him as an X-factor boy almost two months before I noticed him. That also played a part,” Jeshwanth said. Opting to represent Karnataka in domestic cricket, the 20-year-old leg-spinner has been actively training at the SIX Cricket Academy in Bengaluru with a focus on ironing out the cracks in his armour. Punja’s ability to deliver the ball to the exact length soon caught the attention of coach Zubin Bharucha and paved the way for a game-changing development.‘You picked the right guy’“I knew Yash had the ability to play for India at first sight due to his incredible pace and perfect delivery. Tall leg-spinners usually overshoot the ball because of the height factor. But Yash maintained his length as he bowled to Dhruv Jurel and hit the top of the bat consistently. When we left, Jurel said, ‘You’ve picked the right guy’,” Bharucha said.A routine was soon developed which included two practice sessions where Yash was expected to bowl 70 overs a day. Bharucha encouraged an emphasis on accumulating “volume” to develop a strong foundation that could help increase mental strength, clarity, and consistency. Punja initially struggled to acclimatise to this new routine as he was unable to complete his quota of overs due to other commitments.“I had to give a big lecture on how to keep your head down and stick to bowling 70 overs in two sessions because without that there would be no progress. It is vital to keep the intensity going every time you bowl because that’s where the magic lies. Yash didn’t understand the concept at first but slowly got the hang of it. You can’t just bowl 10 overs and disappear,” shared Bharucha.“We worked on his alignment and the zone where the ball would land. One day I simply removed all the stumps from the wicket line and asked him to take a free bite. There were moments of annoyance, but Yash’s skills improved. Shane Warne used to say, ‘You have control over how the ball reaches the bat, but during our conversation it has to land in a similar place.’Learn from Yuzvenda ChahalRavichandran AshwinAs Punja bulked up and stuck to an intense routine where there was no room for failure, dominance over the craft soon became a shining attribute. The 20-year-old cricketer continued to push his limits after initially struggling with 10-15 overs a day and secured 40 overs continuously until the deliveries were in place. An improved work ethic soon became a mental core concept as personal standards were raised, with the ultimate focus on outdoing everyone. Off the field, Punja introduced meditation into his routine, which led to the ability to focus on the present rather than falling prey to pressure.“My googly was a problem about a year ago. However, bowling 15 overs of googlies at the exact spot repeatedly helped me get the ball exactly where I wanted. The emphasis on Zubin’s volume was key because of the confidence it develops,” said Yash.The RR leg-spinner described Anil Kumble and Yuzvendra Chahal as his biggest role models, highlighting the cues he got from the latter as a net bowler with RR in 2024. Punja further got the opportunity to learn from Ravichandran Ashwin, noticing his focus on developing new variations and bowling them repeatedly in the nets to develop command.Call India’s fast teamBharucha believes that Punja should be considered for an early inclusion in the Team India line-up just like Varun Chakaravarthy, considering the quality and command of his deliveries. “The ceiling is very high. He is so far ahead compared to others in the same profile, especially with the incredible profile of the ball, the accuracy and a lot of variation. I told Yash, “Kumble has built a career bowling exactly one length. Why can’t you do the same? It’s an incredible template,” he said.