IPL 2020: If we strike a good combination, we can win this season, says Kolkata Knight Rider’s Kuldeep Yadav

The Kolkata Knight Riders have a huge fan following all over the country, and it is the 2012 and the 2014 editions of the IPL that they remember most vividly.

The Gautam Gambhir-led KKR side lifting the coveted IPL trophy is the image every Knight Rider fan gloats about. But it has not been a very successful season for the KKR since then.

The captaincy changed in 2018, and Dinesh Karthik was given the reigns of the franchise after Gautam Gambhir retired.

Speaking about the 2018 season, KKR spinner Kuldeep Yadav in an interview on kkr.in said, “In 2018, we were playing great cricket and I was sure we would win the title. 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.”

‘Have the team to win the title this year’

Turning to the current edition of the IPL that is to take place in the UAE from September 19, Kuldeep Yadav expressed confidence that they had the team to win the title this year.

“Even last year I had a strong feeling that we would win. If we can strike a good combination, we can certainly win it this year. After all, its cricket, we will win sooner or later.”

Kuldeep Yadav has the rare distinction of being the only Indian bowler with two hat-tricks in ODI cricket, and is part of a select list that has names such as Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq and Chaminda Vaas.

Kuldeep Yadav on his Eden Garden hat-trick

When asked about his hat-trick at the Eden Gardens [against Australia in 2017] and whether he ever thought he could get two of them, Kuldeep said, “I don’t think you can ever take a hat-trick in a planned way. Honestly, I didn’t dream of taking a hat-trick.

“I got my first wicket of Matthew Wade and then in the next ball I plucked Ashton Agar. For the third ball, I asked Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) what to bowl. When you have so many variations, you get confused. He just let me do whatever I felt was right but suggested that I kept it to the stumps.

“I kept a slip and gully in place. Luckily I bowled a good ball and got the edge. Getting a hat-trick at Eden Garden, that too in the first year of international cricket, is a big thing and this was one of the biggest moments of my life.”

The KKR spinner is currently with the squad in Abu Dhabi and is looking forward to IPL 2020.