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IPL 2020: Why was Kuldeep Yadav benched against CSK? KKR bowling coach explains
IPL 2020: After the match against CSK, KKR bowling coach Kyle Mills revealed why Kuldeep was omitted from the line-up. He stated that ground size was the major reason.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) outclassed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by defending a 167-run total in Abu Dhabi on October 7. This win eventually gave a sigh of relief to Dinesh Karthik & Co as they came in the contest after losing to Delhi Capitals.
It was a great comeback from KKR in the tournament which resulted after tweaking the playing XI a bit. Batsman Rahul Tripathi was promoted up the order and he paid back with a fine 81-run knock. In bowling, they introduced Sunil Narine much later and the tactic worked well.
Amid all these experiments, the absence of Kuldeep Yadav raised a few questions on KKR team management. The Chinaman would have been impactful on a slow Abu Dhabi track but not playing him against CSK surprised a few.
However, in the post-match presser, team’s bowling coach Kyle Mills revealed why Kuldeep was omitted from the line-up. He stated that ground size was the major reason.
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“Kuldeep is one of the best spinners in the world. But just with the make-up of the group at the moment and the size of grounds, it’s the reason we went for this XI today and Kuldeep was left out,” Mills said in the post-match press conference.
“I guess the competition is good, isn’t it? We’ve got a very big squad, a very competitive squad for certain spots within the group and Kuldeep has missed out the last two games, but he has a presence within the group, he is still giving to the team. But Kuldeep is training the house down, he wants to get back into the starting XI and so competition within the group is certainly aiding our performance on the park,” he further said.
Despite being KKR’s bowling mainstay, Kuldeep remains under-utilized in IPL 2020. He has just bowled nine overs in three so far in this season and has scalped just one wicket.
