New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) Punjab Kings left-arm fast bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen said the team’s impressive run with the ball in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season is down to one simple principle – collective thinking and backing each other to thrive.

While the power-packed PBKS batting unit continues to hog the limelight, Jansen, along with Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Yuzvendra Chahal, have provided a lot of variety to their bowling attack in this season so far, with their economy rate standing at 9.64.

“All the attention and all the fireworks, as you say, are around our batting. I think it’s not just our batting, but it’s the whole IPL in general. People want to come out and watch the ball fly everywhere. People hit 110-meter sixes and stuff like that, which is understandable. That’s what makes the game attractive to the viewers. We as players understand that.

“But at the same time, people also value, and they also appreciate good bowling. For us as a unit, I think we know exactly what each and every bowler can do and what he does best. I think on a particular day, it’s a case of reading the conditions, trying multiple options,” Jansen told IANS in a virtual roundtable chat organised by the franchise on Thursday.

At the heart of that collective approach, Jansen explained, is a dressing room culture in which every bowler’s voice carries weight and no single template is imposed on anyone.

“If it needs to be, if not, then we just keep it simple. But I think everyone has different skills. Everyone has a different way of going about it. Everyone has a different way of going about bowling in different situations. I think what we’ve done really well is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, if it makes sense. It’s sort of like, okay, Vyshak, what do you do? Or what are you thinking? Arsh, what are you thinking? Marco, what do you think?

“I think we’ve done really well in embracing each and every opinion and each and every one’s view on how they think would be best to go about it, and we sort of back each other. We understand and support one another in whatever way they feel is the best way for them to do a good job for the team,” he added.

PBKS’s attack has built a quiet reputation for control, showing sharp defensive skills at the back end by holding Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Mumbai Indians to totals well below expectations.

Jansen also made it clear that this spirit of backing one another translates directly onto the field, where bowlers feel confident enough to execute skills they have specifically worked on in the nets.

“I think that’s something we’ve done really, really well. Then, regarding the wicket-taking column – for me, that’s a tricky one, because you can have one bowler who’s on top of the wicket-takers list, but then all the other bowlers might not be as fortunate.

“So I think for us, it’s nice to see that we’re at least executing what we’re training to do. Also, we’re actually going into games and match days where we’ve trained a particular skill and are executing that and putting the team in a position where we can win that particular game,” he concluded.

–IANS

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