IPL 2021: Kuldeep Yadav names 2 toughest batsmen to bowl to, Andre Russell finds no place

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has picked two batsmen he finds very difficult to bowl to in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Yadav, while speaking to news agency PTI, said Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star player AB de Villiers and Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma are the two batsmen that are very tough to bowl to in the IPL. Yadav said that while AB de Villiers can hit shots in any corner of the ground, Rohit Sharma takes his time to play, which makes them absolutely dangerous to bowl to. The 26-year-old further said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Chris Gayle are the two legendary cricketers to have ever played the cash-rich league. 

"I find it difficult to bowl against AB de Villiers and Rohit Sharma. De Villiers can smash the ball in any corner of the ground, while Rohit has plenty of time," Yadav said. 

When asked to pick masters of the Indian Premier League, Yadav named Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni and Punjab Kings (PBKS) batsman Chris Gayle as absolute legends in the tournament's history. Yadav said both MS Dhoni and Chris Gayle have been performing well since the beginning of the IPL. While Dhoni has played most of his IPL matches for Chennai Super Kings, Gayle won the hearts and minds of cricketing fans with his explosive performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from 2011 to 2017. Both players feature on top of the IPL records book. 

"If we look from the beginning, then MS Dhoni and Chris Gayle are truly the legends of IPL as they have been performing well since the first season," the KKR spinner added.

Kuldeep Yadav in IPL

Meanwhile, Yadav is yet to get a game for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. However, the Chinaman bowler is confident of playing matches for KKR in the coming weeks and is eager to take wickets for his team. Yadav said that he is hopeful of getting a place in the final XI very soon, adding "I will perform well" when that happens. Yadav has not been in good form for the past couple of seasons in the IPL as he played just five matches for KKR last year and picked up only 1 wicket. Yadav played nine matches in the 2019 edition of the IPL, where he got just 4 wickets under his belt. The left-arm spinner's best IPL season so far has been the 2018 edition, where he picked 17 wickets from 16 games. 

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have played three games so far in the IPL 2021 edition, of which they have lost two. KKR lost their last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by a whopping 38 runs and lost to Mumbai Indians prior to that by 10 runs. The Knights have won just one game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which was also their first match of the season. The Eoin Morgan-led side will look to move up on the points table and will be eager to take the field against Chennai Super Kings in the second of the two games slated to be held tomorrow. 

(Image Credit: PTI)