No competition with Yuzvendra Chahal, he stood by me during my bad times: Kuldeep Yadav

What a remarkable turnaround it has been for Kuldeep Yadav after enduring a rough patch in the last couple of years. On Thursday (April 28), the left-arm wrist-spinner took his second four-wicket haul of the season against his former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, guiding Delhi Capitals to a four-wicket triumph. In fact, DC have so far won four games this season and Kuldeep has been named the Player of the Match every single time.

Meanwhile, Kuldeep’s friend and long-time partner Yuzvendra Chahal has also been sensational in IPL 2022. While Chahal is currently the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 18 scalps, Kuldeep, with 17 wickets, stands at the second place. Following the conclusion of the game, Kuldeep made it crystal clear that there’s no rivalry between the ‘KulCha’ duo as Chahal motivated him during his tough times.

In my heart, I want Yuzvendra Chahal to win the Purple Cap: Kuldeep Yadav

“There has never been competition with him (Chahal). He has encouraged me a lot. He has been like a big brother and stood by me during my bad times. In my heart, I want him to go and win the Purple Cap because he has been bowling exceptionally over the past four years,” said Kuldeep after the game.

The 27-year-old further said the period when he was struggling to get wickets has made him mentally strong. “I might have become a better bowler, but I am mentally stronger than before. When you fail in life you pick what you can improve on and that is something I had to improve. I don’t get scared of failing now,” added the star spinner.

It must be noted that Kuldeep has been in and out of the national team in the last couple of years but ignoring his stellar show in IPL 2022 will not be easy for the selectors. Notably, India will play a plethora of T20 matches leading up to the T20 World Cup 2022 in October-November. Hence, the selectors can consider giving the in-form spinner a chance.