Kuldeep, who was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders unit from 2014 to 2021, was released by KKR last year and was bought for Rs. 2 crore (base price) by Delhi Capitals.
The wrist-spinner was roped in by KKR in 2014 and was handed his first IPL cap in 2016. He consistently became a key member of the team, especially in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, in which he claimed a cumulative, 29 wickets (12 wickets in 2017 and 17 wickets in 2018). But then came the dip. In 2019 and 2020, Kuldeep took just 5 wickets in 13 IPL matches. In 2021, Kuldeep underwent a major knee surgery which ruled him out of the entire edition.
Kuldeep’s childhood coach Kapil Dev Pandey KKR felt that KKR failed to handle Kuldeep properly and the chinaman bowler should be thankful that he was released by the two-time IPL champions. He recently spoke to TimesofIndia.com about this.
Kuldeep Yadav (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
“Kuldeep didn’t get many chances in the last three years. Be it Test, ODI, T20 or IPL, nobody gave him a chance. KKR didn’t show faith in him. They didn’t give him many chances. Kuldeep was disappointed, He is in touch with me. I told him not to lose hope and not miss any training, nets or practice sessions. I told him to work harder and it will help him to work harder,” Pandey added. TimesofIndia.com In an exclusive interview.
“When he was picked by the DC in the last player auction (for his base price of Rs 2 crore), I told him not to look at the price for which he was bought. I just said – ‘Aapko paas. Have an amazing team and set up and will get ample opportunities to showcase my talent’. ‘I just want to perform in IPL and make a comeback in Indian team in all formats’. I am thankful to Delhi Capitals team for giving him enough chances and supporting him. KKR did a great job releasing Kuldeep. It worked really well in Kuldeep’s favour. If Kuldeep was there for one more season, So he would have fallen seriously short as a cricketer. They (KKR) retained him for a year and then didn’t give him a chance, it was quite shocking.” TimesofIndia.com,
‘Kuldeep has full support of Pant and Ponting’
At 2 crore base price, Kuldeep was definitely a steal for the Delhi franchise. Kuldeep is on a wicket-taking spree in the tournament, impressing the batsmen with his various variations and variations. There is a sense of maturity in his bowling now. He has taken 17 wickets in all the 9 matches he has played in IPL 2022, including 2 four-wicket hauls. The 27-year-old has already won four man of the match awards in this edition.
The stage was set for Kuldeep once he entered the new IPL set-up. What he really needed was something to motivate and motivate him, on and off the field. M S Dhoni, his former Indian captain did this for him on the field while guiding him from behind the stumps. Kuldeep got full support of the captain in DC Rishabh Pant and head coach Ricky Ponting, Pant is talking to Kuldeep and planning the strategy with him on the field which we see regularly in DC matches.
(Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
At Ponting, Kuldeep finds a mentor who shows complete confidence in his abilities and guides him to help him find his lost mojo. Ponting recently talked about how what Kuldeep really needed to flourish was a positive atmosphere, love and support – something that the former Australian captain feels DC will give the talented left-arm spinner. are able to give.
Kuldeep is now behind to claim the pole position in the race for the Purple Cap, where he is behind a good friend. Yuzvendra Chahali,
Kuldeep’s resurgence has been one of the biggest talking points of IPL 2022 and coach Pandey credited mentor Ponting and skipper Pant for his brilliant run with the ball in the IPL so far this year.
“Kuldeep is thankful to Delhi Capitals for giving him this opportunity. Delhi has shown faith in him and Kuldeep is paying off that belief. Kuldeep needs mental support and he needs that (Rishabh) Pant and (Ricky)”. Met Ponting. Ponting and Pant have asked.” Kuldeep to go and express himself in between and Kuldeep is doing just that. Kuldeep has full support of Ponting and Pant. When the captain and coach back you, what more do you need?” Pandey added.
He said, “Kuldeep is taking wickets and has shown the world that his pace cannot be changed and he cannot bowl fast deliveries, it is wrong. How will he perform if you do not give him a chance? KKR ‘Don’t give him too many chances. He got injured. He is such a strong player that he didn’t pay much attention to the injury. He was adamant that he would come back. He was in rehab and continued to bowl and train. Long time’ till. TimesofIndia.com,
(Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
“Pant is doing what Dhoni used to do with Kuldeep. Pant is guiding Kuldeep like Dhoni. Pant has shown a lot of trust in Kuldeep. He is guiding him from behind the stumps, giving him instructions. There is a lot of coordination between Kuldeep and Pant. The field. They are on the same page about most things. Kuldeep worked a lot on his line and length. He is not giving space to the batsmen anymore. He is confident He is bowling. He doesn’t just let the batsmen score runs and creates maximum pressure. He tried to bowl some flying balls in the tournament and that was played brilliantly by Glenn Maxwell and Jos Buttler. We went on that plan Also discussed. Now he is turning the ball towards the wide line. He got Shreyas Iyer with him. The trick,” Kuldeep’s childhood coach continued.
,Rohit Sharma The man behind Kuldeep’s resurrection
The change in the captaincy of Team India for Coach Pandey has helped Kuldeep in many ways. Kuldeep returned to the Indian team in February this year against the West Indies (ODI series) after a gap of almost seven months. Kuldeep has two hat-tricks to his name in international cricket. He achieved this feat against Australia (in 2017) and West Indies (in 2019).
“Whenever captains relied on him, Kuldeep delivered. He has a good record in Tests. He has two hat-tricks in ODIs. He has a good T20I record. But still, he didn’t get enough opportunities. It’s really shocking. Kuldeep’s career is secured because of Rohit Sharma. Rohit’s hand is behind Kuldeep’s revival. He is a brilliant captain and he knows how to find talent in a large group of players. Before IPL, Rohit did Called Kuldeep and gave him a chance (against West Indies) Kuldeep also bowled with two wickets.”
Kuldeep Yadav and Rohit Sharma (Image credit: BCCI)
“Rohit kept a close watch on Kuldeep, his yo-yo test and rehab report. Rohit was impressed with Kuldeep’s rehab schedule. Rohit should be given credit for Kuldeep’s return. He would not have been here today without the support of Rohit, Pant and Would have. Ponting. Every captain has his own style of captaincy and players. Kuldeep played a lot of cricket under Virat. Virat needs experience in the team. He went with Ashwin and Jadeja. He because of Axar’s batting abilities. Preferred Axar over Kuldeep. A captain has to trust his players,” the coach added. TimesofIndia.com.
come back
Kuldeep was elated to see his teammates, who were recovering from injury, playing, celebrating and going on the winning lap. At the same time, he was frustrated and desperate to make a comeback and get back on the field.
He was looking for a way to vent his anger. He started bowling for a long time. He spoke to his coach and seniors and asked them to monitor their progress.
After a practice session, he would sit on the boundary ropes, drink water, take a few bites of energy bars, and then recuperate for another session in the nets.
Kuldeep Yadav (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
“Kuldeep was under stress and he asked me one thing two years back – ‘Sir, I have worked very hard, I don’t miss a single net session but I am still not getting chances. What should I do? I said’ Just wait, your time will come soon’. That’s it. I told him to wait for his chance. Finally, the phase he went through gave Kuldeep a lot of maturity and confidence. He is a fearless bowler now. He played Started home matches and Kanpur league games. He went back to the origins. He has now become a fearless and confident bowler,” Pandey added. TimesofIndia.com.
The taste of Kul-cha at the next World Cup?
Neither Kuldeep nor Yuzvendra Chahal, the current Purple Cap holders in IPL 2022, were part of India’s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. India were knocked out at the start of the tournament. The Indian team had relied on the likes of Varun Chakraborty and Rahul Chahar.
Pandey feels that two spinners, who are currently in good form – Kuldeep and Chahal – can do wonders for India’s T20 World Cup campaign in Australia later this year.
Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal (BCCI photo)
“Chahal dominates with the ball with Rajasthan Royals and Kuldeep is on a wicket-taking spree for Delhi. Imagine both are playing in the same team. India need to bring back the duo of Kuldeep and Chahal. They Won matches for India. Can play a big role in past and upcoming World Cups,” Pandey said.
“I was expecting that Kuldeep-Chahal pair would be a part of the last World Cup as well, but it didn’t happen. Both had good performances in Sri Lanka at that time. India should have picked these two in the team. These two bowlers should be there. We are match winners. India badly needed these two in the World Cup. We lost to Pakistan by 10 wickets. We have seen Chahal and Kuldeep turn matches on their heads in the past. We can’t play with fear. Need to release spin, flatter, whack the batsmen and show courage,” the coach signed off.