T Natarajan believes the Delhi Capitals’ management played a key role in helping him rebuild after a serious injury derailed his previous campaign. The left-arm fast bowler was snapped up for INR 10.75 crore ahead of the 2025 season, but fitness issues limited him to just two appearances for the franchise. With the new year underway, however, he has looked closer to his best, featuring in all three matches for Delhi so far.
Speaking ahead of Delhi’s fixture against CSK, Natarajan opened up about the extent of last season’s setback. “Last year, my collarbone was broken, not many people know it,” he said. “I was injured for most of the season and I was recovering towards the end of the season. I was not 100% fit. I was around 90% and I couldn’t bowl [at full tilt].”
He added that the coaching and medical staff stayed actively involved throughout the rehabilitation. “The support staff and team management have been in touch with me and are monitoring my matches and training,” Natarajan said.
The pacer also credited specific members of the setup for maintaining communication and keeping him engaged in his recovery. “The DC team management has taken care of me in the last one year,” he explained. “Badani sir often chats with me and we even met during the TNPL and had chats. I attended a lot of camps in Delhi, Surat and Hyderabad.”
According to Natarajan, part of his preparation involved an extended training block away from his usual routine. “They sent me to Dubai for three weeks and the specific focus was on training. I practiced a lot and even played in the DY Patil (tournament) and that gave me confidence and rhythm,” he said.
Natarajan’s injury came at a crucial moment in his career. The 2024 season had been his most productive in terms of wicket-taking for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and he helped the side reach the final before the latest disruption to his 2025 plans. Looking back, he acknowledged how tough the cycle of success followed by setbacks can be.
“I’ve had a lot of injuries,” he recalled. “Every time I do well, I’ve had an injury setback. In the 2024 season I did well for SRH, we went to the final and next year unfortunately I hurt my bone while fielding. Whenever I have some success, I’ve had a break like this. I’ve motivated myself that I can come back from all these. I’ve had a strong support system, which has made it easier.”
While physical recovery has taken time, Natarajan says he now approaches setbacks with greater mental toughness—especially after an earlier period when he was reported for a suspect bowling action more than a decade ago. He highlighted that his journey back has involved more than one operation and long stretches of rebuilding confidence.
“I’ve had some three-four surgeries so far,” he pointed out. “And every year I’ve had a setback, physically and mentally I’ve overcome a lot of challenges. The biggest challenge for me was coming back from being called for suspect action.”
He stressed that injuries are part of cricket and that he had to accept what was out of his control. “Injuries are a part of the game and it’s not in my hands,” Natarajan said. “After coming back from suspect action, I had the confidence that I can comeback from any setback. I was mentally weak at the time, but that gave me the confidence that I can overcome any challenge, including injuries.”
The pacer also described how he has tightened his personal routines since returning to full training. “I motivated myself and I stayed true to myself and my strengths,” he said. “I can now train whenever I want to at my ground in my village. Earlier to train, I had to come to Chennai. I have healthy food and that has helped improve my fitness.”
On the bowling front, Natarajan revealed that he has moved away from relying on the cross-seam approach to land his yorkers. “Natarajan also revealed that he no longer relies on bowling with the cross seam to execute his yorkers,” he said.
“Bowling with the seam has been very difficult,” Natarajan said. “After bowling with the cross-seam for so many years and now bowling seam yorkers has been very difficult. Why can’t I do it? I had that question in my mind. If everyone can do it, I can execute it too.”
