Early Life &Background
Kuldeep Yadav was born on 14 December 1994 in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, and grew up in Kanpur. His father, Ram Singh Yadav, ran a small brick kiln business, while his mother, Usha Yadav, managed the household. Growing up in a modest home, Kuldeep dreamt of representing India. He began as a left-arm fast bowler, drawing inspiration from Wasim Akram and Zaheer Khan. However, his childhood coach, Kapil Pandey, noticed something special in his wrist movement and encouraged him to switch to left-arm wrist spin—a rare skill in Indian cricket.
Kuldeep faced his biggest setback when selectors dropped him from the Uttar Pradesh U-15 squad. The rejection hit him hard, and he almost gave up the game. But his father and coach motivated him to keep going. Kuldeep responded with renewed determination. Eventually, his hard work earned him a place in the India U-19 team for the 2014 ICC U-19 World Cup, where he created history by taking a remarkable hat-trick—the first ever by an Indian in a U-19 World Cup.
Personal Life
Kuldeep Yadav has kept his personal life very private. He lives with his parents and remains deeply attached to his hometown, Kanpur. He got engaged to Vanshika in an intimate ceremony that was held in Lucknow, attended by their close friends and family.
In interviews, he often credits his father for pushing him through tough phases and his coach for giving his career direction. Kuldeep also attributes much of his growth to MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, who backed him during his early international days.
He’s very spiritual and frequently visits temples before major tours. His calm mindset, he says, is partly due to his strong faith and the support of his family.
Personal Traits
Kuldeep Yadav is calm, soft-spoken, and highly dedicated to his craft. He carries a quiet confidence and has always let his bowling do the talking. Despite facing form slumps and being benched during parts of his career, he has consistently worked hard behind the scenes to bounce back.
He’s known for his resilience and patience—two qualities that define his comeback stories. Teammates often call him humble and hardworking. Kuldeep believes in improving each day, often spending extra hours in the nets and studying footage of batsmen.
Unlike many modern cricketers, Kuldeep avoids the limelight and focuses more on his game. He maintains a low profile, stays connected to his roots, and often visits his family in Kanpur during breaks.
Fitness & Training
Kuldeep is not the most muscular cricketer, but he maintains his fitness through agility drills, cardio routines, and strength conditioning tailored for spinners. After a few injuries early in his career, he also began focusing on flexibility and injury prevention, including yoga and rehab exercises. His fitness transformation post-2021 helped him regain form and rhythm in both white and red-ball cricket.
Hobbies & Personality
Outside cricket, Kuldeep enjoys watching movies, listening to Hindi music, and spending time with close friends. He’s a dog lover and often shares pictures with his pet on social media. Known to be shy around the media, he prefers a quiet life and rarely makes headlines off the field.
He has a keen interest in storytelling and once mentioned he’d love to write a memoir someday detailing his roller-coaster career.
Domestic Career
Kuldeep began his domestic cricket career with Uttar Pradesh in 2012. His performances in junior cricket and the U-19 World Cup earned him quick promotion to senior squads. He impressed in the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy season, finishing with consistent wickets.
His unique skill—left-arm chinaman bowling—set him apart. India hadn’t had a regular left-arm wrist spinner, and Kuldeep’s deceptive flight, sharp googlies, and control caught everyone’s attention.
In first-class cricket, he continued to deliver match-winning performances and eventually got a national call-up in 2017 for the Test series against Australia.
International Career
Kuldeep Yadav made his Test debut in March 2017 against Australia in Dharamsala. He made an instant impact, taking 4/68 in the first innings and helping India win the Test and the series. He soon became a regular in the limited-overs squads as well.
He made his ODI debut in June 2017 against West Indies and picked up wickets with ease, including a hat-trick against Australia later that year—becoming only the third Indian to achieve the feat in ODIs.
Kuldeep’s finest phase came between 2017 and 2019, where he formed a deadly spin duo with Yuzvendra Chahal, often referred to as “KulCha”. The pair terrorized batting line-ups across formats.
In the 2019 World Cup, Kuldeep played a crucial role in India’s campaign. However, a dip in form and confidence in 2020–21 saw him lose his spot in the team. But his comeback in 2022–2023 was a testament to his mental strength. He worked on his speed, variation, and body language, and returned better than ever.
| Format | Matches | Innings | Wickets | Best Bowling | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 13 | 24 | 56 | 5/40 | 22.16 | 3.56 |
| ODIs | 113 | 110 | 181 | 6/25 | 26.44 | 4.99 |
| T20Is | 40 | 39 | 69 | 5/17 | 14.07 | 6.77 |
IPL Career
Kuldeep Yadav began his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians in 2012 but didn’t get a game. He was later picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2014 and made his debut under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy.
Between 2016 and 2019, Kuldeep became a mainstay at KKR and produced several match-winning spells. However, after a dip in form, he was released and later picked by the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2022 auction.
At Delhi, he rediscovered his confidence. In IPL 2022, he picked up 21 wickets, earning the Player of the Match award multiple times. He continued his good run in IPL 2023 and 2024, becoming DC’s most reliable spinner.
He has taken 100+ IPL wickets and is among the top 10 spinners in IPL history.