IPL 2022: Kuldeep Yadav deserves franchise that values his talent
IPL 2022: Many might see Kuldeep Yadav’s career and say that he hasn’t got his due chances. He has everything that a spinner needs to excel at the elite level, but chances. Kuldeep was retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders last year but didn’t feature in any games.
He is a brilliant talent and belongs to a rare breed of spinners – left arm ‘chinaman’ spinners. Kuldeep hails from Kanpur and desired to become another Zaheer Khan. However, after some time he and his coach realized his talent doesn’t coincide with the need of becoming fast. Hence he shifted to a slow left-arm wrist spin.
IPL 2022: Kuldeep’s Formative Years
Kuldeep’s talent was noticeable from an early age. He was just 16 years old when he was inducted into the squad for India U-19 tour to Australia in 2012. His two wickets in a couple of games on that tour were enough to catch Mumbai Indians’ attention. MI awarded him his first IPL contract that season but he didn’t get any chances despite making news after beating Sachin in the practice sessions. Do check BBL live match today and watch the highlights.
Kuldeep shot to fame in 2014 when he picked up a hat-trick for India against Scotland in U-19 World Cup. He became the first Indian bowler to achieve this feat in tournament history and claimed 14 wickets to finish the tournament as India’s leading wicket-taker.
Two years later, Kolkata Knight Riders roped him in for the IPL 2016. Yadav picked 6 wickets in 3 games that season. KKR decided to retain Yadav for 2017 but preferred Brad Hogg in the game outings. In 12 games, Yadav picked 12 wickets but rarely bowled his full quota of 4 overs.
His performances were rightly acknowledged when he was picked to represent Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2017 in his first-class debut. His unorthodox skills, deceptive bowling, and good performances landed him his first national call-in in 2017. He made his test debut against Australia in the home series and immediately left a mark with a 4-wicket haul. His ODI call soon followed.
Selection Woes
Despite his good performance in his debut series, he was dropped for some matches that followed. In the following series against Srilanka, he was drafted into the side after being benched for the first three games. He even picked up an ODI hat-trick, first in ODIs since Kapil Dev, against Australia in the following series.
Kuldeep suffered selection woes. He has been a victim of ‘chop and change’. And despite that, he has tried to give his best in what were opportunities came his way. Here’s our latest betting tips for free.
Kuldeep’s Previous IPL seasons
The year 2018 was rather fruitful for Yadav as he made rapid strides in international cricket as well as in the IPL. In the IPL, he managed to pick 17 wickets in 16 games and also bagged his first man of the match award for his 4/20 against Rajasthan Royals. However, the following three seasons of IPL were quite unruly for the southpaw. He had forgettable outings in 2019 and 2020 and didn’t get to play any games in 2021. Later, a knee injury added more to his woes. In 45 matches so far in his IPL career, Kuldeep has 40 wickets to his name.
Kuldeep has evolved over the years and has very well incorporated deception into his armory. But his intermittent appearance has cost him his confidence. Once termed as ‘India’s No.1 bowler in overseas conditions’ by Ravi Shashtri, Kuldeep Yadav drifted away from the national side after a slight slump in form in 2019. Since his form went south, team management lost faith in his abilities and started picking stand-by bowlers despite Yadav being in the squad.
IPL 2022 Mega Auction: New Auction, New Start
Varun Chakravarthy has been a mainstay for KKR for the past two years and they have decided to retain him over Kuldeep this year. Therefore, Kuldeep Yadav will now go to the auction pool. Kuldeep Yadav is coming out of a knee injury and would be looking to maximize those opportunities. He now needs a franchise that just doesn’t pay him well but imposes faith in his abilities and gives him the chances he deserves.
Kuldeep possesses tricks that most accomplished batsmen fail to pick. In a time when the art of slow left-arm wrist is on the verge of dying, Kuldeep has done so much not just to keep it alive but to resurrect it to its lost glory. Here’s our prediction for cricket match today.
