"I wanted to make him guess" - Kuldeep Yadav on dismissing KKR captain Shreyas Iyer
Kuldeep Yadav had an exceptional outing against his former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday as the Delhi Capitals thrashed the table-toppers by 44 runs at the Brabourne Stadium.
The leg-spinner, who found his rhythm in the IPL, continued the dream run, returning with 4/35 in his quota of four overs.
.@imkuldeep18 to KKR this game: #KKRvDC #IPL2022 https://t.co/CqfPIhAsF0
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Kuldeep said it was Kolkata captain Shreyas Iyer's wicket that gave him the most joy.
"The side boundaries are slightly longer and hence the lengths become very important," he said. "It was gripping, so I was mixing my pace as well. Shreyas was batting well and I wanted to make him guess. It was a very big wicket. I thought his wicket was personally very important. He was the main batsman for the team."
Chasing 216 runs, the Knight Riders went bonkers despite losing a couple of wickets. Kuldeep pulled the strings, dismissing the KKR captain after a well-made 54 off 33 balls.
The 27-year-old capped off his spell with a brilliant running catch to get Umesh Yadav out and knock Kolkata out of the game. Speaking of the outstanding catch, Kuldeep Yadav stated:
"I thought I'd reach the ball and I didn't want to leave my wicket. There wouldn't have been any regrets had I not taken it because I gave it my all."
Khaleel Ahmed and Shardul Thakur also made telling contributions with the ball, scalping three and two wickets respectively. Delhi bowled out Kolkata for 171 runs, securing their second victory of IPL 2022.
Check out the full IPL broadcast channel here.
"Guiding me from behind the stumps" - Kuldeep Yadav on Rishabh Pant
doing well in front of your ex is just unreal. #KuldeepYadav
The cricketer from Uttar Pradesh thanked the Delhi Capitals franchise and captain Rishabh Pant for showing trust in his abilities and backing him. Kuldeep said:
"The team is really backing me a lot. Rishabh has been very calm and has been guiding me from behind the stumps. I am enjoying a lot."
Overall, Kuldeep now has 10 wickets in four matches at an average of 11.60. He is currently second on the list of IPL purple cap 2022 after Umesh Yadav.