Kuldeep Yadav Biography: The Art of Spin in Modern Cricket
Kuldeep Yadav has carved a unique space in international cricket with his rare left-arm wrist spin and fearless approach against the world’s best batters.
Personal Overview
Full Name: Kuldeep Yadav
Date of Birth: 14 December 1994
Age: 31 years (as of early 2026)
Birthplace: Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, India
Height: 168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Role: Left-Arm Chinamen or Wrist-spin Bowler
Teams: Uttar Pradesh, Delhi Capitals, India U19, India A,India
Education: He completed his schooling at Karam Devi Memorial Academy World School in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. As of January 2026, he joined Chandigarh University’s Uttar Pradesh campus to continue his academic journey.
Estimated Net Worth: ₹30 crore to ₹40 crore
Early Life and Domestic Career
Yadav was born in Unnao but raised in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, the son of a brick kiln owner.
In an interview, he revealed that it was his father who wanted him to continue playing cricket and even took him to a coach.
Initially, he dreamed of becoming a fast bowler and idolized Pakistani pace legend Wasim Akram.
However, his coach recognized his natural wrist flexibility and advised him to switch to left-arm wrist spin a rare and challenging craft in cricket.
He trained at the Lalit Kala Academy ground in Kanpur under coach Kapil Pandey, who played a crucial role in shaping his career.
The transition from pace to spin was not easy. Kuldeep had to relearn bowling techniques, develop control, and master variations such as the googly and flipper.
Since then, he started following and watching videos of Shane Warne’s bowling and made him his role model.
During his teenage years, he faced setbacks, including missing selection in Uttar Pradesh’s under-15 team.
The disappointment was intense, but instead of giving up, he doubled his efforts in training.
Long hours at the nets, focused practice sessions, and strong family support gradually refined his skills.
His breakthrough came when he was selected for India’s Under-19 team, where he gained national attention.
One of his most memorable early achievements was taking a hat-trick in the 2014 ICC Under-19 World Cup, which established him as a promising spinner on the international stage.
Kuldeep made his first-class debut for Uttar Pradesh in the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy season.
In just his second match, he grabbed attention by taking a five-wicket haul and later scoring a century against Delhi a rare achievement for a specialist bowler.
He also played Vijay Hazare (List-A) and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Uttar Pradesh.
International Career
Yadav was selected in the Indian cricket team to play against West Indies in October 2014 but did not appear in any match.
In February 2017, he was added to India’s Test squad for their one-off match against Bangladesh.
He made his Test debut for India against Australia on 25 March 2017, at the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium, taking four wickets in the first innings.
Yadav is the first left-arm wrist spin bowler to represent India national cricket team in Test cricket.
He is also only the third such bowler in Test cricket to take four wickets on debut.
In June 2017, Yadav was named in India’s squad for a limited overs tour to the West Indies.
He made his One Day International (ODI) debut for India against the West Indies on 23 June 2017.
However, during this game, he was unable to bowl a single delivery as the game ended with no result due to rain during the first innings while India was batting.
He was ultimately able to bowl in the next match of the series, where he took three wickets.
He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for India against the West Indies on 9 July 2017.
On 21 September 2017, Yadav became the third bowler for India to take a hat-trick in an ODI after Chetan Sharma and Kapil Dev.
He took the hat-trick at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, against Australia.
On 3 July 2018, Yadav took his first five-for in a T20I and also became the first left-arm wrist-spin bowler to take five wickets in a T20I during the first T20I against England.
In fact he also became only the third Indian after Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to take a five-wicket haul in a T20I.
On 12 July 2018, during the first ODI against England, Yadav grabbed his maiden five-wicket haul in an ODI and also set a new record for registering the best bowling figures by a left-arm spin bowler of any kind in an ODI (6/25).
He also shattered the record of Shahid Afridi for registering the best bowling figures by a spinner against England in ODIs.
He broke Afridi’s record for recording the best ever bowling figures by a spinner in an ODI in England.
He helped his national team to win the 2018 Asia Cup as he took the most wickets during the tournament and being the highest wicket taker for India.
On 6 October 2018, in the first test against West Indies, Yadav took his first five-wicket haul in Tests.
On 6 January 2019, in the fourth Test against Australia at the SCG and in Yadav’s first Test match on Australian soil.
He took his second five-wicket haul (5/99) in Tests, in Australia’s first innings.
On 11 February 2019, Yadav moved to second position in the T20I Bowlers Rankings.
In April 2019, he was named in India’s squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
On 30 June 2019, in the match against England, Kuldeep played in his 50th ODI.
On 18 December 2019, against West Indies he became the first bowler for India to take two hat-tricks in ODIs.
On 17 January 2020, in the second ODI against Australia, Yadav became the fastest spin bowler for India, in terms of innings, to take 100 wickets in ODI cricket, in his 58th innings.
Yadav was included in India’s ODI squad for the 2023 tour of the Caribbean. He had a good series coming after poor form following the 2019 World Cup. He picked seven wickets at 8.71,and was retained in the squad for the Asia Cup that year.
In India’s first match, against Pakistan, Yadav returned figures of 5/25, becoming the fifth bowler for his country to claim a five-wicket haul against Pakistan, and helped his team win by 228 runs.
In the following match against Sri Lanka, he delivered another match-winning performance, claiming 4/43, and in the process, became the quickest Indian spinner to reach 150 ODI wickets in terms of matches played (88), going past Anil Kumble.
He finished with nine wickets; India won the tournament, and Yadav was named player of the tournament.
In 2023 Cricket World Cup, Kuldeep Yadav was on the money from the first match against Australia, picking up 2 wickets for just 42 runs.
He bowled even better against Pakistan, taking 2 wickets for 35 runs.
He enjoyed less success against Bangladesh, getting just 1 wicket for 47 runs.
A bowling spell against New Zealand cast doubts over Kuldeep’s ability to counter aggression from the batters.
However, he answered his critics with a splendid bowling spell against England, getting 2 for 24.
On 7 March 2024, Kuldeep achieved a test 5 wicket haul against England in Dharmasala, his second.
In May 2024, he was named in India’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tournament.
He was an integral member of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Currently he was named for the T20I World Cup 2026 Squad.
IPL
Yadav was a member of the Mumbai Indians squad in 2012.
He was signed up by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, whom he represented at the 2014 Champions League Twenty20.
In January 2018, Yadav was bought back by KKR in the 2018 IPL auction.
Four years later, he was bought by Delhi Capitals in the auction for the 2022 season.
Yadav won the player-of-the-match award four times, most by any player that season.
His tenure is still continued with Delhi Capitals for further.
Fun and Interesting Facts
Before becoming a spinner, Kuldeep dreamed of bowling fast like his idol Wasim Akram. His coach convinced him to switch to left-arm wrist spin a decision that changed his life.
He formed a deadly spin partnership with Yuzvendra Chahal. Fans famously nicknamed the duo “KulCha.”
After a dip in form and injuries, Kuldeep made a remarkable comeback, proving his resilience and mental strength at the highest level.
Outside of cricket, Kuldeep has a keen interest in football, and is a fan of La Liga club FC Barcelona. He has also mentioned being interested in starting football academies in India in the future.
Records
Kuldeep is one of the few Indian bowlers to take two hat-tricks in One Day Internationals.
His 2017 hat-trick made him the first Indian bowler to achieve this feat against Australia in ODIs.
At 22 years old, Kuldeep became one of the youngest Indian bowlers to claim a five-wicket haul in ODI cricket.
In 2019, he became only the third Indian cricketer to take a Test hat-trick, achieving the milestone against the West Indies. He joined legends Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble in this exclusive club.
Kuldeep reached 50 ODI wickets quicker than most Indian spinners, highlighting his impact in limited-overs cricket.
Personal Life
On 4 June 2025, Kuldeep announced his engagement to childhood friend Vanshika.
