Seven of Kuldeep's eight wickets in IPL 2025 have come via the googly. ©BCCI/IPL
Much like in India colours, Kuldeep Yadav's IPL journey has been a topsy-turvy one. After three impressive outings in his debut season in 2016, he bagged 29 wickets across the next two editions, second only to Rashid Khan's 38 among the spinners. The form nosedived thereafter, with just 5 wickets from 14 games across 2019 and 2020 at an average of 75.60, before he missed the entirety of 2021 edition with injury.
He had a fine 2022-2024 cycle, and has now been key to Delhi Capitals' imperious start in the ongoing edition. While spinners have collectively gone at 8.94 runs per over in IPL 2025, Kuldeep has bagged 8 wickets at 5.56. Of all the bowlers who have sent down at least 5 overs in the competition, he is the only one with a sub-6 economy rate and a sub-10 boundary percentage (8.33%). All of that while batters have tried to attack 59.3% of his deliveries.
A constant friend and foe all this while has been the googly. 16 of his 35 scalps in the IPL until 2018 came via the wrong-un at an average of 12.93 (ER: 6.9), inducing a false-shot percentage of 31.6. Across 2019 and 2020, he returned 0/97 while bowling 62 of those (ER: 9.38). That number has significantly improved since 2022 (20 wickets at an average and economy of 6), and the delivery has been his prime weapon in IPL 2025 so far. 7 of his 8 wickets this season have come via the googly, the lone exception being left-hander Rishabh Pant, who had been cleverly set up by bowling a wider line after three dots.
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