Yash Raj Punja Strikes Twice as Yuzvendra Chahal Watches
yuzvendra chahal had a 19-year-old leg-spinner deliver his first real IPL breakthrough on Tuesday in New Mullanpur. Yash Raj Punja dismissed Cooper Connolly and Prabhsimran Singh for Rajasthan Royals in the match against Punjab Kings, and he did it in only his second professional appearance.
Yash Raj Punja in New Mullanpur
Riyan Parag turned to Punja when Connolly and Prabhsimran were scoring quickly, and the rookie answered with the wicket that broke a 59-run stand. His googly removed Connolly, a dismissal that gave Rajasthan a wicket through a bowler still trying to establish himself at this level.
Punja conceded 15 runs in his first over and finished with 41 runs against Punjab Kings. Those are the numbers that sit beside the wickets, and they show the pressure he was under while doing the job.
From Abu Dhabi to Rajasthan Royals
The route to this moment has been long. K Jeshwant first saw him in Abu Dhabi during a two-week coaching camp in 2023, persuaded his parents to let him try his luck in India, and then brought him to the Six Academy in Bengaluru. Rajasthan Royals later spotted him at training camps there, used him as a net bowler for two years, and bought him at his base price of ₹30 lakhs in the IPL 2026 auction last year.
That rise came after a start in recreational cricket, and it included a difficult path into Karnataka cricket because of his domicile. The Karnataka State Cricket Association reduced the three-year playing period in local leagues to two in 2025, which helped open a route for him into the Karnataka U-23 camp and a contract with Hubli Tigers in the Maharaja KSCA T20 Trophy.
Height, control and a googly
Ian Bishop’s 2024 description still fits the profile. He wrote, “Met this 18-year-old Rajasthan Royals leg-spinning net bowler yesterday as we travelled to Chennai. I am 6ft 61/2 inches tall. And he has me covered so he is at least 6ft 6 inches tall. His name is Yash and he is from Bengaluru,” and the extreme height and high-control flattish trajectory have been part of the appeal ever since.
Punja’s family route adds another layer. He was born to parents working in the middle-east, and his brother Yodhin Punja captained U-19 UAE and played one ODI for the senior men’s team. Tuesday’s spell gave Rajasthan a glimpse of why the left-field path, the height and the googly have kept him in the frame.
For Rajasthan, the takeaway is simple: a bowler in just his second professional match handled an attack-on-the-fly role, removed two established batters and turned a brief spell into a result the franchise can build on. For Punja, the next step is finding the same control often enough to make this a regular option rather than a one-off intervention.
