Jamie Overton had a rough start to his IPL career. In a lop-sided team in 2025, he played just three games and in two of those, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had him bowling in the powerplay, a role with which he is unfamiliar. It's his twin brother, Craig, who is the powerplay specialist in T20 cricket.
In IPL 2026, with greater role clarity, Overton has emerged as a match-winner for CSK. Eighteen of his 28 overs have come in the middle - between overs seven and 16 - and he has come away with ten wickets in this phase at an economy rate of 7.61. Only Rashid Khan (13) and Noor Ahmad (12) have more wickets than Overton between overs seven and 16 in this IPL.
On Sunday, Overton bested a rampaging Josh Inglis and Rishabh Pant by bowling hard lengths at high pace on a red-soil pitch, triggering a Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) slowdown. Earlier in the day, when the ball was full enough, Inglis had reverse-ramped both Mukesh Choudhary and Anshul Kamboj for sixes, but he couldn't replicate it against Overton.
"Obviously, last year didn't go too well for me," Overton said after CSK beat LSG in Chennai. "Bowling in a phase that I've not necessarily bowled in, it's not one I've done a massive amount of. So, that was a learning experience for me. I'm still developing that area of the game, doing that with Eric [Simons, CSK bowling coach] outside of the matches. But this is what I've done for three or four years, just bowling in the middle and executing that and bowling the odd over at the end.
"For me, it's just to do the simple things really well and hit the top of the stumps with the odd short ball and the odd slow ball and keeping it as simple as I can. Done a lot of work with Eric, trying to focus on my lines and mainly the lines."
Overton has cranked it up to 150kph this IPL, but he understands that extreme pace alone won't work on the flat, bash-through-the line pitches in India.
"Pace can be good and it can also be bad at the same time," Overton said. "If you don't get it right, it does go a long way. And batters aren't scared of pace anymore. The wickets are so good now, they're so true, and batters are just playing some good shots and they're a bit more used to it. But you've still got to have the control.
"Obviously, going back to the [T20] World Cup, that was one thing I wanted to improve on bowling, especially bowling over here in India. It's very different bowling here than it is anywhere else in the world. I feel like I've got to bowl a bit fuller. The Indian players, they're very good at hitting sort of behind square on the off side. So you've got to be really, really accurate with the line you want to bowl. A lot of planning goes on to where I want to execute and where I want to bowl the ball."
Overton credited the CSK team management and their relaxed team culture for his success this season. "The first thing about the set-up: CSK is a phenomenal place to play for," Overton said. "Chennai is a great franchise to be involved with. It's a real family vibe. Every time, last year, even when I turned up, it felt like home straightaway and this year, it just felt exactly the same."
His animated fist pumps have captured the attention of the Chepauk faithful so much that he is arguably CSK's most popular overseas player this season.
"No [fans don't chant my name in England]. Not quite like it," Overton said. "The fact the fans have got behind me and feeling the love off them, it's amazing. The Chennai, the Chepauk crowd, it's phenomenal. They're very intelligent, they're very knowledgeable about cricket. It's great to have your name chanted in the crowd, that's for sure."
CSK's attack appeared thin, especially after the injuries to Nathan Ellis and Khaleel Ahmed, but Overton has given it some muscle and and a lot of hustle.