Dinesh Karthik Opens Up About Strained Relationship with Kuldeep Yadav in Kolkata Knight Riders

Cric News India IPL News 2025

April 9, 2024 0 1117

Dinesh Karthik reflected on his challenging role as KKR captain, recalling the need for difficult conversations with Kuldeep Yadav during the spinner’s form slump.

Dinesh Karthik, the experienced wicketkeeper-batter, recently shared insights into his strained rapport with Kuldeep Yadav during their tenure at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL. Karthik discussed the complexities of team leadership, highlighting the necessity for challenging discussions, particularly with Kuldeep, amidst the spinner’s form slump.

Speaking on Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube channel, Karthik emphasized the demanding nature of captaining a franchise, where honesty can strain relationships, yet it’s essential for team success.

“Leading a franchise is altogether a different job. There are many other cultures, and you will find it challenging to deal with other individuals. You can be very honest with them. As a leader, you will lose out on certain friendships. During my time as KKR captain, Kuldeep (Yadav) was not doing as well as he is right now. There were tough conversations with him, and I don’t think he would have appreciated me at that stage. I had to be tough with him,” Karthik said.

“It was a hard time for Kuldeep. I think those tough times have made him a better bowler today. My bad luck is that I had to be a part of that bad phase in his life. I hope he understands what I did. I do not want him to appreciate it and be ok with it. You have to make decisions for the team and there was nothing personal,” he added.

Kuldeep Yadav debuted for KKR in the IPL 2016 under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy and later rejoined them in 2018, coinciding with Dinesh Karthik’s appointment as captain. Despite a promising start with 17 wickets in 16 matches that season, Yadav struggled in subsequent years, managing only five wickets in 14 matches across two seasons, leading to his exclusion from the national team.

Following a knee injury that sidelined him from IPL 2021, KKR released him. However, a remarkable resurgence with Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022, where he claimed 21 wickets, led to his national team comeback, re-establishing him as a versatile bowler across all formats.