Having warmed the bench in the last couple of seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) while plying his trade for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kuldeep Yadav made a sensational comeback against Mumbai Indians while playing for his new team Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022. In their tournament opener, the left-arm wrist-spinner registered magnificent figures of 3-18 after bowling four overs. 

Kuldeep Yadav had dismissed crucial players including Rohit Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh, and Kieron Pollard at crucial junctures to be adjudged Man of the Match at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. During the post-match press conference, Axar Patel revealed the secret of Kuldeep’s turnaround. “It’s all about the mindset. He was struggling in the IPL as his place was not secured for KKR. He was not sure whether he will play all their matches.”

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He further added, “But he feels that surety of playing matches after coming over here. If you know your place is secured, and not that you have to perform in two matches otherwise you will be sacked from the team, then you can give your best.”

Kuldeep Yadav was not picked for a single match for KKR last season as an injury forced him to miss the tournament. In 2020, he was included in just five matches as he went out of favour in KKR’s scheme of things with the emergence of Varun Chakravarthy.

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Having joined KKR in 2016, Kuldeep Yadav had played 45 games for the franchise, picking up 40 wickets at an average of 30.90. At the 2022 mega auction, he was then picked up Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 2 crore and made the mark straight away.