Despite being one of the premier fast bowlers to have represented India in Test match cricket, Umesh Yadav’s limited-overs career never quite took off. One prime reason is his inability to make an impact in IPL. His best performance in recent years came in IPL 2018 when playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he accounted for 20 wickets in 14 games; he was among the top five in the purple cap holders list.
The right-arm quick has the ability to bowl some beautiful outswingers upfront and is far more effective with the new ball than in the latter stages of the game.
Nonetheless, all of these qualities went unnoticed as he went unsold in the first round of IPL auctions held in Bengaluru on February 14. He was later considered by Kolkata Knight Riders and was bought at base prize for INR 2 Cr.
“When my name came up in the last auction, I went unsold. When my name came up for the second time, I again went unsold. KKR picked me when my name was called for the third time. I am really thankful to KKR for picking me and showing faith in me. I played for KKR from 2014 to 2017 and maintained a good relationship with them,” Umesh said.
“I am really happy and excited to be back at KKR again. I am sure our captain Shreyas will take KKR to a title win. We have got a strong squad. I was part of this squad in 2014 when they won the title and I am happy to be back,” he added.
