IPL 2022: I thought he could be one of the finds of the IPL: Ricky Ponting on roping Kuldeep Yadav

As Kuldeep Yadav played a handful of matches at Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2020 and didn’t get to play a single game in the previous season, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting thought they could help the wrist spinner in turning the corner by giving him confidence.

Yadav has played all the four matches for the Delhi Capitals this season and he has received backing from captain Rishabh Pant as well as the coach, Ricky Ponting. As a result, Yadav’s confidence is palpable on the field and he has also worked hard on his bowling.

The left-arm chinaman is currently the joint second-highest wicket-taker of the season with 10 wickets in four matches at an average of 11.60. Furthermore, he has conceded his runs at an economy rate of 7.40.

Kuldeep’s best performance of the season came against his previous franchise, KKR after he returned with impressive figures of 4-35 in his quota of four overs.

It has been tough last couple of years for Kuldeep Yadav as he hasn’t been in the best of forms but he must have grown in confidence after a solid start to the season with Delhi Capitals.

Meanwhile, Ricky Ponting is well known to get the best out of his players and he is putting his weight behind the wrist spinner to get him back on track.

“We are unlocking little handbrakes that might be holding players back. Even Kuldeep Yadav. For someone like him to be at KKR for a couple of years and not playing – I understand they have some good spinners – one of the reasons I identified him at the auction was for that reason. I thought if we could bring him into our environment and really give him lots of confidence, I thought he could be one of the finds of the tournament,” he said in The Delhi Capitals podcast. “He is bowling beautifully and growing in this environment.”

“With spinners in T20 cricket, there will be ups and downs. Regardless of his performances, he will be treated the same by us and his team-mates. That’s the family environment here. It doesn’t matter what the results are,” he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals have played four matches out of which they won two and lost as many. DC will next face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.