'Strange Captaincy' - Michael Vaughan baffled as Kuldeep Yadav doesn't complete his quota of overs against KKR

Delhi Capitals recorded a four-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday (April 28) and the stand-out performer was Kuldeep Yadav. Continuing his stellar run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, the left-arm wrist-spinner delivered a spectacular spell and registered his second four-wicket haul of the season. Interestingly, Kuldeep took these four wickets inside three overs but still wasn’t given a chance to complete his quota of four overs.

The same has left the cricket world baffled and questions are being raised over DC skipper Rishabh Pant’s tactics. Notably, the Capitals operated with six bowlers in the game and not all were spot-on. The likes of Lalit Yadav and Shardul Thakur also bowled three overs and conceded 32 runs apiece without taking any wicket. Hence, many reckon Pant had ample reasons to hand Kuldeep his final over.

Kuldeep Yadav recorded figures of 4/14 in his three overs

After all, the 27-year-old also had an opportunity of scalping his maiden five-fer in the IPL. Former England captain Michael Vaughan is among many to question Pant’s decision. “Strange captaincy !!! @imkuldeep18 4-14 off 3 !!!! Doesn’t bowl his full quota … !!!!” tweeted the ex-England captain.

Meanwhile, Pant, following the conclusion of the game, explained his decision of not giving Kuldeep his last over. “I thought we would give him (Kuldeep) his final over from the other end but then the ball kept getting wet and I also wanted to change the pace, that’s why I brought the fast bowlers in but it didn’t work,” said the wicketkeeper-batter.

It must be noted that Kuldeep had endured a hard time in the last couple of years. However, IPL 2022 saw the change of his fortunes as DC brought the best out of him. So far, Kuldeep has picked 17 wickets in eight games, second-most for any bowler this season. Time and again, the spinner has credited head coach Ricky Ponting and skipper Pant for his comeback.

“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,” said Kuldeep following DC’s triumph against KKR.