Left-arm pace bowler T Natarajan believes he is finally back to full rhythm in IPL 2025 after a serious collarbone injury had limited him to only two appearances earlier in the season. With Mitchell Starc still yet to turn up for Delhi Capitals’ campaign, Natarajan has been called upon to shoulder some of the most demanding overs, particularly in the death overs—an assignment he once handled with real authority for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Ahead of the Friday encounter between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Natarajan’s recent work in the nets and match overs stood out. In the logs maintained for the tournament, he has delivered six yorkers across three innings. So far in IPL 2025, only Jasprit Bumrah (8) and Prince Yadav (8) have managed more yorkers than Natarajan.
Speaking on how his body has improved, Natarajan pointed to the structured preparation he went through while working with the Delhi Capitals setup. He said the club’s approach included multiple camps under the DC umbrella, featuring sessions with head coach Hemang Badani at Dubai Capitals during the ILT20 in the UAE, along with bowling guidance from Munaf Patel during a stint in Surat ahead of IPL 2026. Despite his injury history, Delhi Capitals moved to retain him for INR 10.75 crore for IPL 2026. That decision also came as he is currently being used ahead of Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi, who was purchased for INR 8.4 crore in the auction last December.
At his press conference before Delhi Capitals’ match against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, Natarajan opened up about what last season cost him. “Last year, I broke my collarbone and I wasn’t fully fit. Not many people knew that,” he said. “Even when I was recovering towards the end of the season, I was only around 90%. The DC support staff and the team management have been in touch with me, monitoring my matches and training since.”
He added that the management continued to stay involved long after his return. “Overall, the DC management has taken care of me in the past one year. 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. They sent me to Dubai for three weeks and the specific focus was on training.”
After returning from the toughest phase of his recovery, Natarajan also sharpened himself back into match conditions through the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). However, he was not operating at full pace there, working mainly in the lower 120-kph bracket. He also looked slightly off-colour during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Tamil Nadu. While he has not yet consistently pushed into the higher 130-kph zone this season, he has been making an impact through variation—hitting the blockhole or disguising deliveries away from the swinging areas, including a slower bouncer that helps him survive in modern, high-tempo T20 batting.
For years, Natarajan’s yorkers have carried a cross-seam angle, a style that has often helped him pin batters at the base of the stumps. This time around, he is bowling those yorkers with the seam held upright and has been finding dip, giving his late-innings work a fresh look in an era where teams attack relentlessly from the first over to the last.
Explaining his approach to the most difficult delivery in T20 cricket, Natarajan said, “A normal ball or a slower ball is easy to execute but it’s not easy to execute a yorker. I feel the yorker is the hardest ball to execute. Whenever I had time in my village, I kept practicing the yorker with the tennis ball too. Before I used to bowl the yorker with the cross-seam. Now, I’m bowling with the seam, which has helped. Cricket has changed a lot. Everyone, especially the batters, are planning so well and keep attacking in the powerplay.”
He then stressed that the key is sticking to plans even when pressure rises. “I want to stick to my plans and strength. Even if I get hit, I want to stick to my strengths. I have greater clarity now and I’ve had three good matches. Ellaralayum panna mudiyum na, ennalayum execute panna mudiyum (if everyone can bowl this yorker, I developed the belief to bowl it too). I’ve not forced it and think [the dip] is coming to me naturally this year.”
Natarajan also discussed Delhi Capitals’ mindset after their last-ball setback against Gujarat Titans in Delhi. He noted that the match ended with David Miller turning down a tie when the required equation was 2 runs off the final two balls. While that kind of defeat can hurt, Natarajan felt it should act as motivation, and he backed the side to respond strongly against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.
“Such losses will be emotional for the team,” he said. “The IPL is a long tournament and it was just the third match. We’ve worked hard for this tournament and we stick together as a family. Whatever happens, Axar [Patel] has encouraged us to smile and keep supporting each other. It’s good learning for us and overall with bat and ball, we look a good side. We have the depth to come back from any situation.”
He added that the team’s bowling progress has been encouraging in the early stages. “In the last three matches, we’ve bowled well as a team. Besides fast bowlers, we have two world-class spinners in Axar and Kuldeep. Mukesh [Kumar] and Lungi [Ngidi] all have experience. Overall, the bowling unit looks superb for us.”
