Was sure we would win in IPL 2018, reveals Kuldeep Yadav

09/01/2020

Kuldeep Yadav has revealed that he was sure of winning the IPL 2018 title with KKR as they were playing great cricket throughout the season. He recalled the match they lost to SRH in the 2018 Qualifier and expressed that he was heartbroken after their loss, owing to Rashid Khan heroics with bat.

Over the years, left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who made his IPL debut in 2012, has grown in stature in KKR from a promising bowler to one of the main bowlers in the team. His performances with KKR were a big piece of the puzzle in him making his international debut. Yadav has since become an integral part of India’s limited-overs set-up and was part of the team that reached the semi-final of the 2019 ICC World Cup.

Now, the U.P spinner, who didn’t have a great IPL last season, picking just 4 wickets in 9 matches, is ready to make a comeback this year on the helpful pitches of the UAE. Recalling the defeat against SRH in Qualifiers of IPL 2018, he stated that he was sure of winning the title that season, given their excellent performance.

“I had a strong feeling last year that we would win. Even in 2018, we were playing great cricket and I was sure we would win the title,” Kuldeep said as quoted by Hindustan Times.

In Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2018 season, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan struck 34 runs in 10 balls to help his side put on a winning total of 175. In response to SRH, KKR could only score 160/9 in 20 overs and thus were not able to make it into the final.

Kuldeep pointed out that Rashid Khan made all the difference between the two teams as they thought they would get a paltry score to chase. He added that he was heartbroken by the loss and assured that they would be able to win the title this year.

“I remember the match we lost against Sunrisers Hyderabad (in qualifier 2). I was out of the ground because my spell was over. They were on 125 and I thought they would not go beyond 145. But Rashid Khan came into the middle and changed the game. We were just one step away from entering the final. It was a heart-breaking moment when we lost the match,” Kuldeep said.

“If we can strike a good combination, we can certainly win it this year. After all, it’s cricket, we will win sooner or later.”