Kuldeep Yadav, born on December 14, 1994, is an Indian cricketer known for his Left-arm Chinaman spin. He plays for the Indian national team and represents Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. In the Indian Premier League, he's part of the Delhi Capitals. Yadav also played for the Indian Under-19 cricket team in the 2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Notably, on December 18, 2019, against the West Indies, he achieved the unique feat of taking two hat-tricks in international cricket for India.

He further made a mark by becoming the fastest Indian spin bowler to reach 100 wickets in ODI cricket in just 58 innings during the second ODI against Australia on January 17, 2020. Yadav played a crucial role in India's victory in the 2018 Asia Cup, finishing as the highest wicket-taker for his team with 10 wickets, tied with Rashid Khan and Mustafizur Rahman.

Kuldeep Yadav, originally from Unnao but raised in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, comes from a family involved in brick kiln ownership. His father encouraged his cricket dreams and took him to coach Kapil Pandey. Initially, he aspired to be a left-arm seamer but due to his build, he became a wrist-spin bowler, impressing his coach with his natural turn and variations. Inspired by legends like Wasim Akram and Zaheer Khan, Yadav turned to Shane Warne's videos for guidance, finding inspiration in Warne's grip, delivery length, and use of the crease.

However, Yadav went through a challenging phase when he contemplated quitting cricket and faced dark thoughts of suicide after not making it to the Uttar Pradesh under-15 team.

Yadav's cricket journey included stints with IPL teams like the Mumbai Indians in 2012 and the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014. In 2018, he was reacquired by KKR in the IPL auction, and in 2022, he joined the Delhi Capitals. During one season, he earned the player-of-the-match award four times, the most by any player that year.

Kuldeep Yadav Career

In his Test career to date, Kuldeep Yadav has played 8 matches to date in his Test career and he took 34 wickets, with an average of 21.56, conceding nearly 3.44 runs per over with a best individual figure of 5 for 40.

In Kuldeep Yadav's ODI career, he has played 93 matches to date in his ODI career and he took 157 wickets, with an average of 25.55, conceding nearly 5.08 runs per over with a best individual figure of 6 for 25.

Kuldeep Yadav has played 32 matches to date in his T20 career and he took 52 wickets, with an average of 14.58, conceding nearly 6.62 runs per over with a best individual figure of 5 for 24.

Kuldeep Yadav is currently ranked 51st in the ICC Test bowling rankings with a total of 420 points. He holds the 8th position in the ICC ODI bowling rankings with a total of 641 points. Kuldeep Yadav is ranked 31st position in the ICC T20 bowling rankings with a total of 543 points.