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His transformation has been remarkable, and he has earned his place as India’s premier white-ball wristspinner

Abhimanyu Bose26-Sep-20233:00

How Kuldeep Yadav has fared since the 2019 World Cup

If, at the start of 2022, you were asked which wristspinner among Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav was going to be picked for the ODI World Cup the following year, you would not be blamed for choosing the former. In fact, that would be the sound, educated guess.After all, from the end of the 2019 World Cup to the end of 2021, Chahal had picked 34 wickets in 21 ODIs at an average of 28.47. Kuldeep, in that same period, played a game more, got just 26 wickets, and averaged 43.73.Nothing seemed to be going right for Kuldeep around then – he was even relegated to the bench by his then IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.But then, something changed.Related

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• Rohit on resting Kuldeep: 'We don't want to expose him'

It’s not like Chahal did a lot wrong. He picked up 24 wickets in 16 ODIs between the start of 2022 to now, and his average improved marginally to 27.91. Even his economy rate dropped from 5.70 to 5.53.But Kuldeep’s transformation was massive.Suddenly, he was bowling quicker, but still getting the turn that troubled batters when he first burst on to the scene. His variations were still as effective, if not more, and now came with more zip off the surface.The results followed.From the start of 2022, Kuldeep has picked up 43 wickets in 24 matches and his bowling average has shot down to 18.93 (in this period). His economy rate, which was 5.76 between the end of the 2019 World Cup and the end of 2021, dropped to 4.70. He has picked up three-wicket hauls against Australia and New Zealand and four-fors against South Africa and Sri Lanka. And then, of course, there was the 5 for 25 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup Super Four game.Kuldeep Yadav has been a transformed bowler since the start of 2022•ESPNcricinfo LtdA criticism Kuldeep often faced when his career seemed to be all downhill was that he was bowling too slow. Despite the prodigious turn he would generate.But the solution wasn’t simple, because Kuldeep had to get quicker without losing the trajectory that so deceived the batters, and turn that made him so good in the first place.A knee injury, suffered during IPL 2021, turned out to be the point the transformation started. The surgery that followed offered him a chance to start over, in a sense. As he completed a five-month recovery and got back to bowling, he tweaked his run-up from what was almost a 45-degree angle to a much straighter approach. That was change number one.”It’s been over one-and-a-half years since I had surgery,” Kuldeep said after his heroics against Pakistan at the Asia Cup. “The run-up has become straighter. The rhythm has become aggressive. The approach is nice.”Other things might have changed too.1:25

How did Kuldeep Yadav outfox Pakistan?

“Maybe my hand used to fall over but that is well in control and faces the batter more,” he said. “At the same time, I did not lose my spin and drift, and my pace increased – all of which helped me.”These, and an increased focus on his lengths, which he has credited for his success not only during the Asia Cup but also on India’s tour of the West Indies.The increase in pace without a loss in turn means batters now don’t have as much time to read him off the pitch as the ball comes on quicker. Add to it his variations, and it leads to indecision.During his devastating spell against Pakistan, Kuldeep tossed a ball up to Fakhar Zaman that rose above the batter’s eyeline, drawing him forward. But the ball dipped sharply and landed on a perfect length and zipped away, leaving Fakhar leaden-footed and getting an outside edge with a poke. Rohit Sharma spilled it at slip, but the delivery showed the threat that has made Kuldeep so hard to play again.At 83kph, it wasn’t a particularly quick delivery for a modern spinner, but unlike before, the ball did not lose pace after pitching and skidded through, not giving the batter enough time to adjust.He displayed this ability time and again in the West Indies, where he also used the wrong’un to great effect.Kuldeep Yadav finished with the Player-of-the-Series award at the Asia Cup for his nine wickets•AFP/Getty Images

Anil Kumble: Kuldeep has ‘more body behind every ball’ now

The key, though, is the run-up, as Anil Kumble, legspin great and Kuldeep’s first international coach, explained.”Even when I was the coach, Kuldeep had just come into the Indian team and we were trying to get him to bowl straighter. And hats off to him, he has been able to understand that that had to be done and he’s done that to good effect,” Kumble told ESPNcricinfo. “He is now running in straighter, which means that the body is more behind the ball that he bowls and that has certainly helped the pace at which he bowls now. Naturally, he doesn’t have to bowl quicker. It’s not that the arm-speed has suddenly become quicker.”What is really good and impressive is that he’s always been a big turner of the ball so he is still able to give it a good rip. And because of the change of the angle of the run-up, it’s given him the advantage of body behind every ball.”Kumble further said that the front arm coming down in line with his body instead of going across it has, indeed, given Kuldeep greater control.Kuldeep will head into the World Cup after a special performance in the Asia Cup, where his nine wickets helped him get the Player-of-the-Series award, even though he got to bowl just the one over in the final after Mohammed Siraj blew Sri Lanka away with his opening spell.1:41

Kuldeep: My rhythm is more aggressive now

Kuldeep was rested for the first two ODIs against Australia, with Rohit explaining the importance of “preserving” the lone wristspinner in his World Cup squad.”Kuldeep is a rhythm bowler, we all know that,” Rohit said ahead of the Australia series. “But we thought of a lot of things and took this call. We have been looking at Kuldeep for the last one, one-and-a-half years, this is why we don’t want to expose him a lot.”He is coming back for the last match. There are a lot of reasons. This is the best decision for us, to have him sit out for two games and play the third. We also have two practice matches [before the World Cup opener], so for the bowling rhythm, he will be back in it.”With 31 wickets since the start of 2023, Kuldeep is the joint-highest wicket-taker in ODIs this year for players in teams that will be playing the World Cup in India.Kuldeep is anyway a point of difference in a world-class bowling attack – Tabraiz Shamsi and Noor Ahmad are the only other left-arm wristspinners at the World Cup. And with his all-round improvement, he could well become India’s ace in the hole as they look to win a second home World Cup.

A phenomenal batting line-up, seven bowling options, some excellent fielders… that’s our XI for IPL 2021

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2021 year sounds silly, but Harshal did, didn’t he?Varun Chakravarthy was one of the key reasons for Kolkata Knight Riders’ progress to the final•BCCI10. Varun Chakravarthy (18 wickets, ave 24.88, ER 6.58, Best 3-13)
It was almost impossible to get Chakravarthy away, right through the IPL, for the second IPL in a row, in fact, and in tandem with Narine, he formed a sensational pair in the middle overs, drying up the runs and setting Knight Riders up for one unlikely win after another. Chakravarthy picked up wickets with some regularity, but his great achievement was definitely in the economy department.11. Avesh Khan (24 wickets, ave 18.75, ER 7.37, Best 3-13)
Avesh enjoyed a true breakthrough season. Second only to Harshal in the wicket-takers’ tally, it was almost as if Avesh would get a wicket each time he came on to bowl, in every stage of the innings. Still uncapped at the international level, though he is on the fringes, Avesh showed how he has improved in the past couple of years, still hitting the deck as he always did, but now with more control, and at what pace. He can hit 140kph, but also has a bagful of slower deliveries, and bowls both in the powerplay and at the death.
Almost there: Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Andre Russell, Yuzvendra Chahal, Anrich Nortje.

Highlights from round four of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26

Shashank Kishore02-Dec-2025

Hardik returns from injury in styleReturning to competitive cricket for the first time since injuring (left quadricep) himself ahead of the Asia Cup final in September, Hardik Pandya struck an unbeaten 77 off 42 balls to power Baroda home in a tall chase of 223 against Punjab.Hardik put together a crucial third-wicket partnership of 101 with Shivalik Sharma, who was tactically retired out on 47 off 32. This allowed Jitesh Sharma, Baroda’s new recruit, to join Hardik with the side needing 30 off 15 balls. Baroda needed just nine more balls to seal victory.Hardik’s batting performance somewhat made up for his underwhelming returns with the ball. He finished with figures of 4-0-52-1, with much of his early damage caused by Punjab captain Abhishek Sharma who waltzed to an 18-ball 50, before being dismissed off the following delivery.Punjab’s innings went into overdrive courtesy Anmolpreet Singh (69 off 32) and Naman Dhir (39 off 28). Yet, they found the target easily razed down in the end, with Baroda winning by seven wickets.Both sides have two wins in as many matches in Group C, which is currently led by Gujarat, who have three wins in four matches.Shaw’s rapid 66 trumps Suryavanshi tonAfter scores of 14, 13 and 5 in his first three knocks, Bihar’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi, set to be India’s opener at next month’s Under-19 World Cup, made heads turn with an unbeaten 61-ball 108. In the process, he became the youngest player (14 years) to hit a ton in the tournament.Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest batter to score a century in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy•PTI

Suryavanshi hit seven fours and seven sixes in Bihar’s 176 for 3. Suryavanshi’s three centuries are the joint-most by an Indian in 2025, along with Abhishek Sharma. Ayush Mhatre and Ishan Kishan have two hundreds each.Suryavanshi’s knock, however, wasn’t enough in the face of an opening onslaught from Maharashtra captain Prithvi Shaw. Hoping to attract the attention of IPL franchises after going unsold for IPL 2025, Shaw laid the foundation of Maharashtra’s chase with a 30-ball 66 at the top of the order. Maharashtra eventually got home by three wickets in hand with one over to spare.This was Maharashtra’s second win in four games, while Bihar continued to remain winless.Sarfaraz slams maiden ton as Mumbai remain unbeatenSarfaraz Khan slammed his maiden T20 century, an unbeaten 47-ball 100, in Mumbai’s 98-run win over Assam. This was their fourth win, which puts them at the top of Group A.The other contributions in Mumbai’s 220 for 4 were Ajinkya Rahane, who made a 33-ball 42 opening the innings; Ayush Mhatre made 21, fresh off two consecutive centuries; the end of the innings also received a finishing kick courtesy Sairaj Patil, who slammed an unbeaten 9-ball 25. In response, Assam were bundled out for 120; Riyan Parag, the captain, bagged a two-ball duck. Shardul Thakur, the Mumbai captain, picked 5 for 23Padikkal century crushes TNDevdutt Padikkal struck his fourth T20 century – an unbeaten 46-ball 102 – as Karnataka bounced back from two back-to-back losses to trounce Tamil Nadu by 145 runs. This is their second win in four matches that keeps their chances of making the Super Fours alive.Sent in to bat, Karnataka raced to a 69-run opening stand between Mayank Agarwal and BR Sharath (53 off 23), before Padikkal took centrestage. He hit 10 fours and six sixes in his innings. The in-form R Smaran, who has made quite an impression so far this season, made 46 not out. TN captain Varun Chakravarthy conceded 47 off four wicketless overs.TN’s chase never got going; they were eventually bowled out for 100 in 14.2 overs with N Jagadeesan’s 21 being the top score. B Sai Sudharsan managed just 8. Karnataka’s legspinning duo of Shreyas Gopal and Pravin Dubey picked up three wickets apiece.Related

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The result puts TN in the bottom half of Group D, with their domestic season going from bad to worse. After finishing the first half of the Ranji season winless and going through a coaching reshuffle for the white-ball leg, they’ve now managed just one win in four matches and are in danger of not progressing beyond the group stages.Bishnoi, Tendulkar make an impressionReleased by Lucknow Super Giants ahead of IPL 2026, Ravi Bishnoi offered a timely reminder of his quality with a three-for in Gujarat’s emphatic win over Puducherry. The result – their third in four games – keeps Gujarat well-placed for a Super Four berth. Bishnoi now has six wickets in four outings, at an economy of 7.62.File photo: Ravi Bishnoi goes through his bowling drills•PTI

Choosing to bowl first, Gujarat skittled Puducherry for just 83 in 13.1 overs before cantering to the target in nine overs. Opener Aarya Desai sealed the chase with an unbeaten 53 off 30 balls. The defeat was Puducherry’s second in four matches.Freshly traded to LSG, Arjun Tendulkar starred in Goa’s impressive win over a formidable Madhya Pradesh side. Tendulkar returned figures of 3 for 36, including the late wicket of Venkatesh Iyer for 5 to restrict MP to 170 for 6.Goa then cruised through the chase, sealing victory with seven wickets in hand and nine balls to spare. Abhinav Tejrana’s brisk 55 off 33 and Suyash Prabhudessai’s composed, unbeaten 75 off 50 ensured there were no hiccups along the way.Both MP and Goa have two wins in four games in Group B.

The five T20Is were the only home series for the South Africa men’s team this summer

Firdose Moonda24-Sep-2025South Africa may be forced to shorten their only men’s international home series this summer – against West Indies – for both teams to get to the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka on time. South Africa are scheduled to host West Indies for five T20Is between January 27 and February 6, but as reported by ESPNcricinfo last week, the T20 World Cup is set to be played between February 7 and March 8.On August 28, the ICC sent participating teams a Member Information Pack, with information regarding warm-up matches. The document, seen by ESPNcricinfo, states that the ICC’s support period – the time in which teams are expected to arrive in the host countries and play non-obligatory warm-up games – starts on January 31. That has moved up from February 3, while CSA had drawn up their home fixtures with the understanding that South Africa would have enough time to travel to the T20 World Cup.It is not mandatory for countries to spend the entire support period in the host venue, but the ICC asked participating countries to list by September 5 how many warm-up matches they want to play, with options ranging between none to a maximum of two. Only if a country opts for two matches, will the support period become one week prior to the tournament opener. CSA are currently in discussions with CWI to see when West Indies want to arrive in the subcontinent and how many matches they want to play there. If teams opt for no warm-up games, the mandatory support period is four days prior to the first match on February 7. If a team opts for one warm-up then the support period will five to six days prior to the tournament opener.The warm-up information is significant only because it allows the ICC to confirm an arrival date for each team.Even if West Indies do not want to play any T20 World Cup warm-up matches, CSA will still have to cull at least two of the five T20Is; the last two games are on February 3 and 6. The fixtures cannot be played any earlier with the SA20 ending on January 25. CSA is currently deciding which venues should host the matches against West Indies – at present, the venues are likely to be Paarl, Newlands, Buffalo Park in East London, Centurion and Johannesburg.

CSA always planned on having a less-crowded summer this year to prepare their venues for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Currently, drop-in pitches are in development around the country

England and Sri Lanka narrowly escape this problem; their three-T20I series in Sri Lanka will be played between January 30 and February 3. They also have the benefit of being in one of the host nations at the time.South Africa do not have any other men’s international fixtures at home this season, in part because their all-format tour of India ends on December 19, which left no space for matches before the original window of the SA20 in the first week of January. The SA20 has now been moved into the festive period and will start on December 26.However, the league is not the only reason for the lack of men’s international fixtures. CSA always planned on having a less-crowded summer this year to prepare their venues for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Currently, drop-in pitches are in development around the country. Next season, South Africa play ten home Tests (eight men’s and two women’s), including three-match series against Australia and England.

Fixtures were cancelled with players going on strike in the final stages of the second season

Matt Roller23-Jul-2025A T10 tournament in the Cayman Islands featuring David Warner, Shakib Al Hasan, Alex Hales and Carlos Brathwaite has been plunged into uncertainty with fixtures unfulfilled over allegations of unpaid salaries.The Max60 Caribbean event was launched last year, but its second season has been blighted by off-field issues. ESPNcricinfo has learned that five fixtures on Tuesday were cancelled after strike action from players, the majority of whom had not received a payment that was due to be cleared 30 days before the start of the tournament.On Tuesday evening, Max60 posted on Instagram that all games had been cancelled “due to off-field issues” and announced that the final would take place on Thursday at 2pm local time between Caribbean Tigers and Vegas Vikings, who were first and third respectively in the league table.This post was later deleted and on Wednesday morning, the fixture was replaced by a “runner-up playoff” between Grand Cayman Falcons (who finished fifth) and Vegas Vikings, followed by a trophy presentation.Players have been supported in their strike action by the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), which said that the non-payment issues were the latest example of contracts being treated like “worthless pieces of paper”.”It’s disappointing to hear that players still haven’t been paid what they’re owed under their contracts,” Tom Moffat, the WCA’s chief executive, said. “Players have fulfilled their commitments in good faith the whole way along, but it’s unreasonable for anyone to expect them to continue to turn up and put on the show if the terms of their contracts have flagrantly been breached.”This isn’t an isolated or new issue. It’s another example of an officially sanctioned cricket event treating player contracts like worthless pieces of paper, and of the lack of protections for players who compete in events that have been sanctioned by the ICC or its members.”There are simple solutions to these issues and the game’s global leadership and regulations should protect the whole sport, and people within it.”Max60 is run by BMP Sports, a Dubai-based company which claims to be a “global market leader in cricket league ownership, sponsorships, franchising and more” on its website. It is affiliated with the Braves franchise, which has featured in T10 leagues in Abu Dhabi, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.BMP Sports and Max60 were both contacted for comment but did not respond at the time of the publication of this report.

India’s T20I captain “can’t wait to be back” with the team set to tour Bangladesh in August 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2025

India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav had a successful hernia surgery in Munich, Germany and is currently in recovery.Suryakumar was last seen at IPL 2025, where he was a crucial part of Mumbai Indians’ run into the playoffs. The 34-year-old middle-order batter set a new world record for consecutive 25-plus scores (16). On the back of that, he finished with a total of 717 runs, the highest by a non-opener in IPL and the highest by an MI batter in a single season.India’s immediate assignments are the ongoing Test tour of England, which carries on until August 4. Then they shift focus to a white-ball tour of Bangladesh, which contains three ODIs and three T20Is. Suryakumar isn’t a regular for India in 50-overs cricket – he hasn’t played the format since the 2023 World Cup final. Given this schedule, he had some free time on his hands to complete the surgery and his recovery before he takes charge of the T20 line-up in Chattogram on August 26.