Kuldeep Yadav has 112 wickets in 110 IPL matches, more than any other left-arm wrist-spinner in league history. That total hides two separate careers: a Kolkata decline that almost finished him, and a Delhi revival worth 72 wickets in five seasons. Below is his full season-by-season record, his best year, how his numbers read against the names at the top of the all-time IPL wicket-takers list, and an honest verdict on a bad 2026.
Quick Answer - Kuldeep Yadav IPL Career
Kuldeep Yadav has taken 112 wickets in 110 IPL matches at an average of 27.96 and an economy rate of 8.26, with best figures of 4/14. He has played for Kolkata Knight Riders and, since 2022, Delhi Capitals, who retained him for INR 13.25 crore before IPL 2026. The season split below shows when he was worth it.
हिन्दी: कुलदीप यादव के 112 आईपीएल विकेट किसी भी बाएं हाथ के रिस्ट स्पिनर से ज़्यादा हैं, लेकिन 2026 में उन्होंने 12 मैचों में सिर्फ 10 विकेट लिए और दिल्ली प्लेऑफ़ से बाहर रह गई।
Stats verified via ESPNcricinfo and the official IPL site, updated 26 July 2026.
Kuldeep Yadav's IPL Career Journey
Kolkata Knight Riders signed Kuldeep as a teenage prospect before the 2014 Under-19 World Cup and then made him wait. He debuted in 2016 and took 6 wickets in 3 matches, followed that with 12 in 12 in 2017, and peaked for the franchise in 2018 with 17 wickets in 16 games at an economy rate of 8.14. Then the floor gave way. He averaged 71.50 in 2019, played 5 matches for a single wicket in 2020, missed all of 2021 after knee surgery, and was released.
Delhi Capitals bought him for INR 2 crore at the 2022 mega auction, which now looks like the best two crore any franchise has spent on a spinner. He took 21 wickets in his first season there and has stayed since, through a flat 2023, a sharp 2024 and a season as the team's leading wicket-taker in 2025. His five years at Kolkata Knight Riders produced 40 wickets in 45 matches. His five at Delhi have produced 72 in 65.
Kuldeep Yadav Season-by-Season IPL Stats
Two peaks, one crash and one long recovery. Per-season economy is discussed in the sections below rather than tabled, because it could not be verified to primary-source standard for every year.
| Season | Team | Matches | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 3 | 6 |
| 2017 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 12 | 12 |
| 2018 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 16 | 17 |
| 2019 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 9 | 4 |
| 2020 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 5 | 1 |
| 2021 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 21 |
| 2023 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 10 |
| 2024 | Delhi Capitals | 11 | 16 |
| 2025 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 15 |
| 2026 | Delhi Capitals | 12 | 10 |
| Career | KKR, DC | 110 | 112 |
Kuldeep Yadav in IPL 2026 and Recent Form
IPL 2026 was the worst season of his Delhi years. He played 12 of Delhi's 14 league games and finished with 10 wickets. Ten innings in, he had 7 wickets at an average of 50.28 and an economy rate of 10.66, and of every bowler who had sent down 30 overs in the tournament at that stage, only T Natarajan was going for more. Delhi finished sixth on 7 wins and missed the playoffs for the fifth year running, with Lungi Ngidi rather than Kuldeep leading their wicket charts.
What changed was length. ESPNcricinfo's ball-tracking showed batters hitting 254 runs per 100 balls off his full deliveries in 2026, against 133 in 2025. His final act was a reminder of the other version: 3 for 29 and the Player of the Match award as Delhi beat Kolkata by 40 runs in the last league fixture. He was nowhere near the IPL 2026 Purple Cap standings, and he said so himself afterwards: "I was expecting more from myself, but I couldn't deliver this season."
Kuldeep Yadav's Best IPL Season
IPL 2022 remains the high-water mark: 21 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 19.95, with a strike rate of 14.19. Nothing else in his record comes close on quality of return. He had been released by Kolkata, bought back into the league for INR 2 crore, and spent the season taking wickets in the middle overs when Delhi had almost nobody else who could.
The signature spell came in Match 41 at the Wankhede Stadium on 28 April 2022, against his old franchise. Kuldeep bowled three overs and took 4 for 14, removing Baba Indrajith and Sunil Narine off successive balls, then Shreyas Iyer and Andre Russell, as Kolkata were held to 146 for 9. It was his second four-wicket haul against them that season, after 4 for 35 at the Brabourne Stadium, and it remains his best IPL return.
Where Kuldeep Yadav Ranks Among IPL's Spinners
Judged on volume alone he is a mid-table bowler, and 112 wickets will not trouble the top ten. Judged on rate over his Delhi years he is close to elite: 72 wickets in 65 matches is a return most spinners in the league would take. The honest reading sits between the two. Kuldeep is the most successful left-arm wrist-spinner the IPL has had, which is a real distinction and also a small field, and the seasons he lost to form and a knee are the reason he is not measured against the leaders. Set him beside Varun Chakravarthy and the difference is not craft but continuity.
Kolkata years (2016 to 2021)
- Matches: 45
- Wickets: 40
- Best season: 17 wickets in 2018
- Seasons with fewer than 5 wickets: 3
Delhi years (2022 to 2026)
- Matches: 65
- Wickets: 72
- Best season: 21 wickets in 2022
- Seasons with fewer than 5 wickets: 0
IPL Records and Milestones Held by Kuldeep Yadav
- Most IPL wickets by a left-arm wrist-spinner: 112 in 110 matches.
- Best figures of 4/14 in three overs against Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 41 of IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium, which sits well inside the range covered on our list of the best IPL bowling figures.
- Four four-wicket hauls, two of them against Kolkata Knight Riders in the same 2022 season.
- Reached 100 IPL wickets in his 97th match, during IPL 2025.
- Delhi Capitals' leading wicket-taker in IPL 2025 with 15 wickets, and 22 catches across his IPL career.
Delhi will be tempted to treat IPL 2026 as the end of something, and I think that would be a mistake. Kuldeep has been dropped once before, at 25, and came back with the best season of his life. The difference now is that he is 32 and the league has learned to sit on his full ball, which is a solvable problem rather than a terminal one. My honest caveat: INR 13.25 crore is a lot for a bowler you cannot use in the powerplay or at the death, and Delhi will feel that in a mega auction year. But release him and someone else gets 15 middle-over wickets cheap. Run the numbers yourself on our IPL player comparison tool and the case for keeping him is stronger than the 2026 headline suggests.
Frequently Asked Questions - Kuldeep Yadav IPL Stats
How many wickets has Kuldeep Yadav taken in the IPL?
Kuldeep Yadav has taken 112 IPL wickets in 110 matches at an average of 27.96 and an economy rate of 8.26. That is the highest tally by a left-arm wrist-spinner in IPL history. He reached 100 wickets in his 97th match during IPL 2025.
What are Kuldeep Yadav's best IPL bowling figures?
His best IPL figures are 4 for 14 in three overs, taken against Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 41 of IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium. He has four four-wicket hauls in total, two of which came against Kolkata in that same season.
Why did Kuldeep Yadav struggle in IPL 2026?
Batters attacked his fuller length. Ten innings into the season he had 7 wickets at 50.28 with an economy rate of 10.66, and ball-tracking data showed batters scoring at 254 runs per 100 balls off his full deliveries, up from 133 in 2025. He finished the season with 10 wickets in 12 matches.
Was Kuldeep Yadav better for KKR or Delhi Capitals?
Delhi, clearly. He took 40 wickets in 45 matches across five seasons at Kolkata Knight Riders, including two years in which he barely played. At Delhi Capitals he has 72 wickets in 65 matches, and his single best season, 21 wickets in 2022, came in his first year at the franchise.
Has Kuldeep Yadav won an IPL title?
No. Kuldeep has played 10 IPL seasons across Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals without featuring in a title-winning campaign. Kolkata's most recent title came in 2024, two seasons after he had moved to Delhi, and Delhi Capitals have never won the IPL.
The Bottom Line
Kuldeep Yadav's 112 wickets make him the most successful left-arm wrist-spinner the IPL has produced, but the number is a poor guide to the bowler. Split his career at 2022 and you get two different players: 40 wickets in 45 matches for Kolkata, with a two-year collapse in the middle, then 72 in 65 for Delhi. IPL 2026 was his worst full season in five years, and at 32 that matters. It does not erase what the middle overs of a Delhi innings have looked like since 2022.
