Rajasthan Royals handed an IPL debut to tall leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja on Sunday (April 19) against KKR at the Eden Gardens.
Yash Raj Punja bowls economical spell on debut
Batting first against KKR at the Eden Gardens, Punja was listed on the Impact Subs list for RR. Following a strong start with the bat, RR collapsed and crawled their way to 155-9, but two wickets in the first two overs by their opening pair of Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger pegged KKR back.
Punja was brought on as the Impact Player after the fifth over and was introduced in the bowling attack straightaway, with the task of closing out the powerplay.
Standing at six feet five inches tall, Punja was carted for a six and a four by Rovman Powell in his first over, but the youngster held his nerve to make a strong comeback. He conceded only seven, three, and three runs off his last three overs, and picked up the wicket of Ramandeep Singh. On his debut in the IPL (or any professional cricket), Punja finished with figures of 4-0-25-1.
Match 28, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals
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Who is Yash Raj Punja?
Punja was with the Rajasthan Royals set-up as a net bowler in IPL 2025 before they bought him for the subsequent auction for INR 30 lakhs. The teenager has had a non-linear journey to the IPL. He was born in the UAE in 2006, where his brother Yodhin became the UAE's youngest first-class and then international cricketer.
Having played in the UAE in his initial years, Punja had come to Bengaluru for a vacation, where RR were holding a camp. Impressed by his skills, RR took him in as a net bowler. Punja then played in the Maharaja Trophy, the state-level T20 league in Karnataka, where he impressed with 20-plus wickets.
You can read more on Yash Raj Punja's journey here. He had not played any professional cricket at any level before his IPL debut.
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