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Kuldeep Yadav will make his return to competitive cricket in UP’s upcoming Ranji Trophy clash against MP.
Kuldep Yadav will play for UP in the upcoming FC game against Madhya Pradesh. (Image: Sportzpics)
Left-arm wrist-spinner, Kuldeep Yadav has been reportedly named in Uttar Pradesh’s squad for their upcoming Ranji Trophy fixture against Madhya Pradesh set to take place at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.
The 30-year-old has been out of action after undergoing a hernia surgery. He has not played competitive cricket since October 2024 with his last appearance for the national team being the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand.
As per a report by ESPNCricinfo, Kuldeep will join Indian international stars like Virat Kohli, Riyan Parag, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul and others who will be part of the final group-stage fixtures for their respective sides in the nation’s premier domestic tournament.
Both teams will not be able to make it to the knockouts but the game will be some crucial match practice to keep track of his form and fitness ahead of the three-match ODI series against England. He has been selected for the 50-over series and also the 15-man provisional squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 as well.
He has become India’s go-to wicket-taking spin-bowling option particularly in the white-ball formats, while making inroads for the longest format as well. He has racked up plenty of experience and remains a vital cog in India’s bowling unit which will be a massive cause for concern.
This is primarily due to both Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami coming off their respective injury layoffs along with Jasprit Bumrah’s participation for the Champions Trophy 2025. After a disappointing couple of months in the red ball, the Indian team will be keen on returning to winning ways as they shift their focus to the limited overs format.
Kuldeep’s performance against a fairly strong MP side will also be something to watch out for. Madhya Pradesh has some quality batters like Rajat Patidar, Shubham Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer and others. The upcoming first-class game will be a solid test for the spinner to see where he is in terms of form and fitness. His last first-class outing was during the Duleep Trophy 2024 when he featured for India A.
Uttar Pradesh’s Squad: Aryan Juyal (capt, wk), Karan Sharma, Abhishek Goswami, Madhav Kaushik, Priyam Garg, Rituraj Sharma, Aaditya Sharma (wk), Shivam Mavi, Saurabh Kumar, Shivam Sharma, Kritagya Kumar Singh, Vijay Kumar, Atal Bihari Rai, Vaibhav Chaudhary, Zeeshan Ansari, Kartikeya Jaiswal, Kartik Tyagi, Kuldeep Yadav
