IPL 2022, DC vs MI: Sehwag, Harbhajan and more hail Man of the Match Kuldeep Yadav

In 2021, Kuldeep Yadav did not feature in a single game for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Cut to 2022, and the left-arm spinner displayed class with a fine spell on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Delhi Capitals (DC) against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Brabourne Stadium. 

Also read: IPL 2022, DC vs MI: Delhi steals a win away from Mumbai; Twitter unhappy with Bumrah

Kuldeep picked up three crucial wickets and conceded just 18 runs, leaving legends of the game gobsmacked. The spinner's spell was instrumental in stalling Mumbai Indians' charge after they made an explosive start with a 67-run opening partnership between captain Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan. Yadav dismissed the Hitman at 41 before clinching the wickets of Anmolpreet Singh and Kieron Pollard for 8 and 3 runs, respectively.

After Kuldeep's stunning spell, the cricket fraternity lavished praise on him, with legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag leading the way. Indian teammate Yuzvendra Chahal, former Indian spin great Harbhajan Singh, and legendary pacer Irfan Pathan too praised his stunning spell. 

Sehwag compared Kuldeep's performance to Umesh Yadav's Man of the Match (MOTM) spell against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.

Kuldeep failed to feature in a single game in the India leg of the IPL 2021 for KKR, with Varun Chakravarthy and Harbhajan Singh playing over him. He also missed the UAE leg of the tournament due to an injury, which forced him to undergo knee surgery. 

The left-arm spinner made a comeback to competitive cricket in India's home series against West Indies last month, following which he was purchased by the Delhi Capitals for Rs 2 crore during the mega auction. Punjab Kings had also shown interest in signing him, but ultimately the Delhi-based franchise was successful in signing him.

Chasing a target of 178, Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel starred with the bat for Delhi Capitals, adding an unbeaten 75 runs to take the team to a four-wicket win. This came after MI had taken control of the proceedings, following DC's top-order collapse. Earlier, Ishan Kishan scored an unbeaten 81 as Mumbai Indians posted 177 for five after being put on to bat first.

Also read: IPL 2022: When Virender Sehwag once praised Dhoni-like Ishan Kishan's 'fearlessness'