Best from the rest: Combined XI from bottom six teams in IPL 2022

8. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav played cricket as a leisure activity in his childhood days. It was his father who made him pursue cricket as a profession. Yadav started as a fast bowler Advised to try left-arm wrist spin by his coach, Kapil Pandey, a rare skill that Yadav mastered at a very young age.

The Chinaman, as they are commonly referred to, attracted global attention in the U-19 world cup in 2014, where he finished up 2nd highest wicket-taker with a hat-trick to his name as well. He made his debut for the national team in 2017 and has the 2nd best strike rate in T20Is. The 2018 IPL was his breakthrough season, as he ended up scalping 17 wickets for KKR. But a barren couple of years saw him oscillating between sides in the IPL.

Delhi Capitals gambled on the unorthodox spinner as he was picked up for INR 2.00 Cr in the IPL 2022 auctions. The 27-year-old regained his mojo and has had his most productive year in the IPL to date. Under the guidance of skipper, Rishab Pant, Kuldeep has looked the most threatening in IPL 2022. Yadav has accounted for 21 wickets this season as he has bamboozled quite a few batters with his deceptive googly. Belonging to a rare breed of wrist spinners, Kuldeep’s form bodes well for the Indian team.