South Africa's legendary pacer Dale Steyn has accused Kartik Tyagi of copying other bowlers' bowling action. Tyagi made his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) debut in the high voltage Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians (MI). While Tyagi got the wicket of India skipper Suryakumar Yadav and conceded 43 runs in a high-scoring contest, Steyn was not impressed a bit. The Proteas veteran pointed out that Tyagi has changed his bowling action again. He wants him to find his own action.
“Tyagi seems to have changed his action, again. A young man with pace and good skill, but I feel yet to believe in his own bodies ability, often copying other bowlers actions to find some hidden gem that could work for him. Copying has its advantages, but at some stage, you need to make an action your own. I hope he finds what he’s looking for soon," Steyn wrote on X.
However, Steyn believes that Tyagi has got potential. A followed said that the pacer has not delivered as per his potential. The legendary pacer said that he needs to be patient and follow a process instead of searching for wickets.
"He will. He just needs a bit of good old fashioned luck, but most importantly needs to understand there’s a process to picking up wickets and to stop searching for them. One can almost feel and certainly see the desperation every time the ball goes in the air or close to a catch. Wickets will come, stay patient with him," Steyn replied.
Tyagi’s return to the IPL
Tyagi was introduced into the attack in the sixth over. Veteran opener Rohit Sharma smashed him for two sixes in the 16-run over to finish the powerplay overs. He was brought back into the attack in the 10th over. He created a chance but Ryan Rickelton's catch was dropped at deep square leg by Viabhav Arora. Later, in the 15th over, he delivered with Suryakumar's wicket with a short ball.
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Tyagi’s IPL career
The youngster hasn't had a good IPL season since the 2020 edition when he represented Rajasthan Royals (RR) and claimed nine wickets from 10 games. In IPL 2021, he had one good game where he defend four runs in the final over against Punjab Kings. Injury played a crucial role in keeping him on the sidelines. In IPL 2022, he joined Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) where he stayed for two seasons, playing just five games. Then, he joined Gujarat Titans where he played just one game in the 2024 edition. He is yet to prove his mettle at the IPL stage.
The 25-year-old will have another chance in the absence of key pacers who have been sidelined due to injury. KKR are scheduled to go up against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 2 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, where he will face a new set of challenges.