It is very rare to see a "Player of the match" award being shared between two players. It is even a rarer event when a player decides to share the award with his teammate. On April 20, Kuldeep Yadav decided that he wants to share the award with Axar Patel who took as many wickets as him against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.
“I would like to share this award with Axar. He bowled well and took important wickets in the middle,” the Delhi Capitals (DC) leggie said in the post-match press conference.
While Kuldeep got the wickets of lower-order batters Kagiso Rabada and Nathan Ellis in his final over, Axar took the wickets of in-form Liam Livingstone and PBKS’ top run-scorer of the game, Jitesh Sharma. Kuldeep conceded 24 runs from his four overs whereas the left-arm off-spinner gave just 10 runs in his full quota of overs.
“I have played a lot against KG (Rabada) and I know he does not move his feet much, my plan was to bowl one chinaman and then the googly. The second wicket was due to Rishabh telling to bowl from round the wicket,” Kuldeep explained how he got his two wickets.
DC bowlers were excellent against PBKS as they dismissed them for a low score of 115. Apart from Kuldeep and Axar, Lalit Yadav took the wickets of Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul Chahar. The right-arm off-spinner conceded 11 runs from his two overs.
The IPL 2022 has seen a great turnaround for the 27-year-old. He is second in the race of purple cap behind his old bowling partner, Yuzvendra Chahal (17 wickets). Kuldeep has 13 wickets from six games at an average of 14.30. It has been a major transformation for him at DC. He warmed the benches when he played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the last few seasons.
“To be very honest, I have got plenty of confidence this season and I am also mentally clear with my role. I just focus on my line and length and not on what the batter is going to do. I don't watch videos now, when you are very confused you watch videos to see what a batter might do. I am enjoying my bowling after a long time and the credit goes to Rishabh for backing me. That gives a lot of confidence for a bowler and that is a plus point for us,” he added.
