New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) When Yash Thakur talks about bowling in the death overs in T20s, he does not talk about variations first - he speaks about the clarity in mind and plans before turning his attention to execution. The clarity in his words mirrors Thakur’s reputation as an end-overs specialist in IPL - 13 of his 25 wickets have come in the crunch 17–20 overs phase.

“I feel that death overs are the most challenging. So I always try to do my best for the team in the most challenging situations. My mindset is always the same. That's why I prefer bowling in death overs. For death overs, your mind and plans should be clear.

“Then your execution comes in the end. These three things I feel are the most important in bowling in death overs. If it is there, you can click it well. Sometimes it won't happen, but this is a process. The more it goes on, the better it will be,” said Thakur in an exclusive conversation with IANS ahead of IPL 2026 starting on March 28.

It is this simple framework of clarity and execution that has helped Thakur excel since having impactful 2023 and 2024 seasons with Lucknow Super Giants. Though he got only two games with PBKS in the 2025 season, Thakur’s numbers in recent domestic cricket season suggest he can get a longer run: 18 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 6.8 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

He had the third-best economy rate amongst pacers who bowled at least 25 overs in the domestic T20 competition. It was followed by 19 scalps in nine games in Vidarbha winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Thakur knows what those numbers mean for his IPL 2026 ambitions, especially with PBKS looking to complete an unfinished business after falling six runs short of winning the title.

“I am ready from day one to play matches. Our tactical call and more so, team call will always be on top. Whatever role I am given, I will try to do my best for the team, which is more important. Punjab Kings as a team has only one goal that we have to win the final match and win the trophy for the team. The trophy that was left last year should be in our dressing room this time,” he said.

The death overs specialism that has now become a part of Thakur’s identity traces back to 2018/19, when he turned out for India U19 team. “This process started long ago. It started from under 19 days in 2018/19, when I was playing for India - that's when it started that I had to be a death overs bowler. It’s because if I wanted to play for India, the better I would do in death overs, the better my chances of playing for the country would become.

“So, all of this is one step at a time. Actually, when I played T20 for the first time in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, I didn't have much idea. I just played in the tournament, but I got to learn that in death overs, there is always a challenge – the batters come hard on you and from then I started this.

“In Syed Mushtaq Ali (Trophy), I thought I will excel more in death overs and achieve mastery in it. Then slowly I came to IPL and right now, the thing is, the more I am clear in death overs and better I perform there - it stays in my mind,” he explained.

Before joining PBKS camp, Thakur spent time at the NCA club in Nagpur for a focused block of preparation. For one or two days, he would practice bowling yorkers only by keeping his shoes on the blockhole and try to consistently hit it.

The same plan would be in place for honing his wide yorkers and slower balls, apart from spending 1.5 to 2 hours on batting practice. “As per my bowling plan, I work there on my thinking, execution, the specific deliveries I have to work on – so I prepare for IPL and that makes me feel that I am not unprepared.

“So I get a good stage to prepare there. The same goes for batting - I think about the deliveries that I have to prepare against, the shots that can work well. So I practice there for 6-7 days and then I come to the IPL with a feeling that I am prepared.”

That preparation feeds directly into his death overs approach on match days, where instinct and planning for specific batters coexists under significant pressure. “In death overs, execution is most important. Whether your plan is getting executed or not. Second thing is planning - what have you planned for specific batters and wickets? These two things are most important.”

“The plans are mostly batter specific. You have to see who is batting and what are their strengths and weaknesses, irrespective of the ground conditions and wickets. Keeping both these things in mind, you have to plan the best balls which can work and give you wickets and save runs. That is the process which is there in that phase,” he stated.

Spending time in the India ‘A’ camp for series against Australia ‘A’, South Africa ‘A’ and Rising Stars Asia Cup has also been a huge boon for Thakur. “It is a step closer to India and the experience was such that it felt like international cricket for me. It was a good experience personally for my skills and development and how I can excel more in that.

“I learnt a lot of things about how I have to keep my temperament and patience. Pressure increases a lot when you represent a country, but when you are calm and composed, you get to learn and experience a lot.”

The adaption of his bowling plans as per different formats has further sharpened Thakur’s adaptability skills. “As a professional cricketer, this is a part of your life that your format will change, so as the time to play, but you have to adapt very quickly because the game has become so fast. You are playing T20 today, then after a week you have to play Test cricket and later one-day cricket.

“So the time and format will change, but your adaptability should be very fast as per the pace of the modern-day game. For every player and professional cricketer, it has become mandatory that your adaptability should be good.”

What makes this PBKS side different since 2025, as per Thakur, is a cultural shift that captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting have brought since joining the side. “When Shreyas bhai joined the team last year, he changed the environment. Shreyas bhai and Ricky sir changed the environment of the team and made it a positive, fun-loving team. Everyone cares for each other and will think about each other.

“Our team building started from there - from day one last year till the final. All the players who were not playing had a thought that how can I do my best for my team? Even if I am not playing, how can I do my best from here? Everyone has the same mindset this year, as we had last year. As a team, we have to move forward, play for each other and make the team win.”

Guided by calmness, clarity in plans and the disciplined execution he has honed since his teens, Thakur shapes up as a compelling option to be in the PBKS playing eleven. In a competition where control in the death overs can tilt the balance, his presence could prove to be decisive in IPL 2026.

“I had a good season for Vidarbha as well. So my mindset and thinking is the same as what I was thinking in the domestic season - that we have to take every match at the same time. The end goal is we have to win that trophy - so we have to go through that process and keep the mindset positive.

“As soon as any situation comes, the more calm and positive you are, the better you will be able to execute. So I saw this in the domestic games and now I want to do the same thing in the IPL,” signed off Thakur.

--IANS

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