Kuldeep Yadav of Delhi Capitals during match 26 of the Indian Premier League season 17 (IPL 2024) between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals held at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on the 12th April 2024. (Sportzpics)
Kuldeep, who choked the flow of runs in the middle overs by scalping three crucial wickets, opened up about his inclinations during DRS calls and jested that one of the two reviews handed to the teams was for him.
Delhi Capitals posted a 6-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Sports City in Lucknow, UP on Friday in the ongoing season of the IPL.
DC managed to limit LSG to a total of 168/7 in 20 overs as Kuldeep Yadav starred with a three-wicket haul that rattled the hosts’ batting order. The Capital city side went on to earn their second win of the campaign as they chased down the target successfully with 11 deliveries to spare as Jake Fraser McGurk burst onto the scene with a 35-ball-55 run knock and was ably supported by skipper Rishabh Pant’s 41 run contribution.
Kuldeep was named the player of the match for his figures of 3-20 in his four overs that helped DC restrict LSG to a modest total.
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Kuldeep, who missed a couple of his side’s games prior to the win due to an injury he sustained at the beginning of the campaign revealed that it wasn’t easy riding the bench while his side struggled and went on to thank team physio Patrick Farhart for getting him up and ready.
“It was tough when I wasn’t fit. I got injured first game and it was difficult to see the team struggling in the middle overs,” the spinner said.
“Credit goes to Patrick to maintain my fitness and get me ready quickly,” he added.
Kuldeep struck twice in his first over of the game to dismiss the big-hitting Marcus Stoinis, and the swashbuckling Windies batter Nicholas Pooran, before completing his three-wicket haul with the scalp of LSG skipper KL Rahul in his second over.
He opined that all three wickets were crucial and it was of essence that his side choked the hosts’ flow of runs in the middle overs.
“All three were important wickets, it was crucial to get wickets in the middle overs to control the run rate,” the left-armer said.
“I liked the first and second wicket, I have played a lot against Pooran and the execution for that was right,” he added.
He also expressed that he was clear about his game plan and how he was to go about the game and said he feels confident in his ability.
“I was clear with my plans, just the length matters for me as a spinner. Very clear and confident with my skills,” the leggie stated.
Kuldeep also opened up about his inclinations during DRS calls and concluded by joking that one of the two reviews handed to the teams was for him.
“Whenever I feel the DRS call is 50/50, I try to push for it but when it is more 60/40 then I tend to listen to Rishabh,” the 29-year-old said.
“As a bowler, you want to take the DRS whenever possible. We’ve got 2 reviews, so obviously one is for me,” he jested.