Yash Raj Punja Reflects on a “Horrible” Start, His Transformation Under Bharucha and Alastair Cook’s “X-Factor” Comment
Rajasthan Royals (RR) are one win away from confirming a place in the IPL 2026 playoffs, but their next challenge against Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians (MI) is expected to be demanding as MI look to close a difficult season on a positive note. While RR’s star names such as Jofra Archer and Ravindra Jadeja continue to attract attention, 20-year-old leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja has emerged as an important difference-maker in the campaign.
Punja, born in Abu Dhabi, has taken six wickets in five matches this season while maintaining an economy rate of 8.35. His most notable performance came in RR’s previous match against Lucknow Super Giants, where he outfoxed Josh Inglis and stood out as the best bowler in the attack. The tall leg-spinner has quickly impressed in his first IPL season, but his rise has been shaped by years of patient development and hard work.
His early cricketing journey was far from smooth. Coaches at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Cricket Academy, where he joined at the age of seven, initially saw little promise in him as a cricketer. Sandeep Dhuri, one of his early coaches, described Punja’s first phase as raw and difficult, though he improved rapidly over time. Punja began as a fast bowler before switching to leg-spin after advice from a coach at the Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy in South Africa, who believed he had greater potential as a spinner.
A major breakthrough came when former Karnataka head coach Karthik Jeshwanth spotted him and was impressed by his bounce. Jeshwanth urged Punja’s parents to let him pursue cricket more seriously, even though they were initially cautious because of academic priorities and concerns shaped by his brother Yodhin’s injury struggles and early retirement. Jeshwanth also recalled that former England captain Alastair Cook had earlier spoken about Punja having an X-factor, which helped reinforce the belief in his talent.
Punja later chose to represent Karnataka in domestic cricket and trained at the SIX Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where he worked on improving the finer details of his bowling. Zubin Bharucha, RR’s coach and mentor figure, played a major role in shaping him further. Bharucha immediately believed Punja had India-level potential because of his pace, control, and ability to land the ball on a consistent length. He was particularly impressed by the way Punja bowled at Dhruv Jurel during a practice session, after which Jurel reportedly told him RR had found the right player.
A strict training routine followed, with Punja expected to bowl large volumes every day to build consistency, endurance, and mental toughness. He initially struggled with the workload but gradually adapted to the demanding approach. Bharucha emphasized that the key was not just effort, but intensity on every delivery and repetition at a precise landing spot.
Punja has also worked on his googly, which was a weakness around a year ago, by bowling it repeatedly until he developed greater accuracy and confidence. Off the field, he added meditation to his routine to stay focused and handle pressure better. He has cited Anil Kumble and Yuzvendra Chahal as key inspirations, while also learning from Ravichandran Ashwin’s habit of refining and repeatedly practicing variations.
Bharucha believes Punja has the potential to be fast-tracked into the India setup, comparing his trajectory to Varun Chakaravarthy and saying his ceiling remains extremely high because of his accuracy, variations, and control.
