Former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer reckons Kuldeep Yadav’s effectiveness seems to have dropped a little after Delhi Capitals suffered a 47-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, on Tuesday.
Yadav returned with expensive figures of 0-30 in two overs he bowled against the Orange Army. Kuldeep has scalped five wickets in six matches at an average of 38 and an economy rate of 10 in the ongoing IPL 2026.
Kuldeep has thus far bowled 19 overs in six innings and he was once again not given his full quota of four overs by Axar Patel.
Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube Channel, “Also, there is a slight worrying sign with Kuldeep as he is not completing his full quota of four overs, and his overall effectiveness seems to have dropped a little. That is a concern from an Indian fan’s and Indian cricket follower’s point of view.”
Jaffer questioned Axar Patel for not completing his quota of four overs and giving part-time spinner Nitish Rana four overs against SRH. Patel returned with figures of 1-23 in two overs he bowled, whereas Rana conceded 55 runs in his four overs.
He added, “Axar bowled well today. I think in just two overs he gave away only 23 runs. So I do not know why he bowled Nitish Rana, who is a part-time bowler, for four overs instead of backing himself, or even not giving Kuldeep two more overs. Although Kuldeep had gone for 30 runs in his two overs, he is the kind of bowler who can make a comeback and pick wickets. And if Abhishek had gotten out at that stage, maybe such a big score would not have been possible. So Axar surprised me a bit with those decisions.”
The former domestic giant said Nitish Rana would have been disappointed after he got out after scoring 57 runs off 30 balls. DC lost quick wickets of well-settled batters – KL Rahul and Nitish Rana – in quick succession in the run chase of 243.
“I feel that at the stage where he (Nitish Rana) got out and on the shot he played, he would have been disappointed. If those 57 runs had turned into 80 runs, maybe they could have taken the match a bit closer. And if he had built a bigger partnership with Sameer Rizvi, then the game could have been even closer.”
Delhi Capitals will next take on Punjab Kings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on Saturday.
