Rajasthan Royals (RR) became the fourth and final team into the IPL play-offs with a comfortable 30-run win against Mumbai Indians (MI) in their last match on Sunday. Set to score 206 for a win and ensure the play-off race went down to the wire, Mumbai Indians could only manage 175-9 in the face of some excellent bowling, leaving Punjab Kings (PBKS) crestfallen.The victory meant Riyan Parag’s side moved to 16 points, with the last match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals having no significance in the play-off race. RR will meet third-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on Wednesday, following Qualifier 1 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans on Tuesday.While Joffra Archer stole the show with his all-round performance, picking up 3-17 following his cameo of 32 runs off 15 balls, it was Abu Dhabi-born leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja who rose to the occasion when it mattered. The 20-year-old had already picked up six wickets in five matches this season before this all-important clash, and against MI, picked up two more at crucial junctures when thrown into the deep end.The leg-spinner, who has impressed everyone with his poise in the face of heavy hitting in this IPL, had especially stood out with his performance in RR's last match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where he bamboozled Josh Inglis, emerging as the pick of the bowlers."I started off as a fast bowler but decided to switch to leg-spin based on the inputs provided by a coach from the Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy in South Africa. He told me I had a lot more potential as a spinner, which I thought was quite a big deal, sparking a change," said the RR leg-spinner during an interaction with TimesofIndia.com.Sandeep Dhuri, a coach at Abu Dhabi's Zayed Cricket Academy, where the leg-spinner joined at the age of 7, said there was "absolutely nothing" in him as far as cricket was concerned when he first played. Dhuri further added that Punja was average initially but managed to pick up the skills rapidly, including the googly, a must-go-to variation for a leg-spinner."My googly was an issue about a year ago. However, bowling 15 overs of googlies at an exact spot repeatedly helped me land the ball exactly where I wanted," shared Punja, who was scouted in Bengaluru while playing for Karnataka in domestic cricket, before being picked up by RR.Described as an ‘X-factor’ by former England captain Alastair Cook, the 6-foot-5-inch-tall Punja picked up the wickets of a marauding Will Jacks and Corbin Bosch on Sunday to finish with 2-44 in his 4 overs, which also included a dropped catch off his bowling.Jaydip is a Pages Editor at Gulf News and has sports running in his veins. While specializing in Tennis and Formula 1, he also makes sure to stay on top of cricket, football, golf, athletics and anything related to sports in general.