Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav returned figures of 2/24 against Punjab Kings to be named player of the match after handing Delhi Capitals a massive 9-wicket win in the Indian Premier League 2022 on Wednesday.
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Kuldeep has had a remarkable turnaround in form since being bought by DC in this edition. In the past two editions of the competition, his form had plummeted to the point that he was benched for virtually the whole season while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders. However, that appears to be a thing of the past, as he has turned things around for his new franchise, taking 13 wickets in six games.
During the post-match presentation, Kuldeep decided to share the award with Axar Patel who also picked impressive figures of 2/10 and stated that his bowling plan against Kagiso Rabada was considerably simpler since he knew the South African would not take a huge step forward but the left-arm spinner credited captain Rishabh Pant for the second wicket.
He added that Pant had been asking him to come and bowl around the wicket for quite some time. And when he did choose to follow the instructions of the captain, it resulted in him bowling Nathan Ellis through the gate.
“I have played a lot against KG (Rabada) and I know he does not move his feet much, my plan was to bowl one chinaman and then the googly. The second wicket was due to Rishabh telling me to bowl from round the wicket.”
The wrist-spinner also thanked Pant for his recent turnaround, adding that the Delhi skipper backs his bowlers to the hilt and does not panic if they are going for runs.
“To be very honest, I have got plenty of confidence this season and I am also mentally clear with my role. I just focus on my line and length and not on what the batter is going to do.”
“I am enjoying my bowling after a long time and the credit goes to Rishabh for backing me. That gives a lot of confidence for a bowler and that is a plus point for us,” he said.