Kuldeep Yadav was unable to get opportunity that he should have got in KKR: Ricky Ponting

If there was a ‘point to prove best XI’ going in this edition of IPL, Kuldeep Yadav will certainly make it to the side as he has been outstanding so far in the tournament despite being benched throughout the last IPL by KKR. The Chinaman spinner had been part of the KKR setup for a long time until 2021 and he was one of their leading spinners alongside Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla until 2019. But things changed in 2020 for Kuldeep as he could play just the five games in the edition.

Things got even worse for Kuldeep in 2021 as he did not play a single game in the entire season for KKR despite being with the Indian side. He could not find a place in the Indian playing XI as well and was in and out of the side until being recalled recently.

He got picked up in the mega auction by the Delhi Capitals for just INR 2 Crores and since then, he has been a revelation as he has picked up 11 wickets in five games and is second in the race for the purple cap as well. Kuldeep’s head coach Ricky Ponting explained what worked for Kuldeep this season after the loss to RCB.

Kuldeep Yadav is one of the leading spinners in IPL: Ricky Ponting

Ponting mentioned that Kuldeep has been enjoying the dressing room atmosphere in the Delhi Capitals franchise and revealed how the franchise was desperate to get his services in the auction. He noted about KKR had a fray of excellent spinners that led to Kuldeep being dropped for the last two seasons but added that the Kuldeep remains one of the best in the country.

“Kuldeep is really thriving in the environment that we are creating around him. We were very keen to get him in the auctions. Obviously at KKR in a couple of seasons, with the quality of spinners they had with Chakravarthy, Narine, and even Shakib, he was unable to get the opportunity that he should have got. He is one of the leading spinners in the IPL and has been playing for his country,” Ponting said in a post-match conference.

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