IPL 2022: Kuldeep Yadav has received mental security at Delhi Capitals, says Axar Patel

Delhi Capitals (DC) all-rounder Axar Patel has said Kuldeep Yadav has received a sense of mental security at the DC camp. Patel also added that the security brought the best out of his teammate in their Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday.

After warming the bench of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the last two seasons, Kuldeep produced a match-wining performance in his maiden appearance for DC. He finished with figures of 3 for 18, which were his second-best IPL figures, and also earned him the Player of the Match as DC defeated MI by four wickets.

"It's all about the mindset. He was struggling in the IPL as his place was not secured for KKR. He was not sure whether he would play all their matches," Axar said at the post-match media conference when asked about the secret of Kuldeep's turnaround.

"But he feels that surety of playing matches after coming over here. If you know your place is secured, and not that you have to perform in two matches otherwise you will be sacked from the team, then you can give your best," added Axar.

Kuldeep was not picked for a single match last season and injury forced him out of the tournament. As a result, he lost his place in the Indian national team as well. In 2020, he was included in just five matches as the spinner fell down the pecking order at KKR, who preferred Varun Chakravarthy instead.

Delhi bought Kuldeep, who was released by KKR at the end of the 2021 season, at INR 2 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction. He took no time to justify the faith the franchise showed in him. Out of the three wickets he took against MI, two were massive scalps of Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard.

Meanwhile, Axar also praised DC head coach Ricky Ponting for boosting his morale.

"The way (head coach) Ricky (Ponting), other coaches, and the captain (Rishabh Pant) extended their support to him, he could give his best," Axar added after DC's superb four-wicket win.

"Even during the practice, we tell him you can do well. It's about that surety. He has got that mental shift that he will play all matches so he is able to give his best," said Axar, who scored 38 off just 17 balls against MI.

During DC's chase of 178, they lost quick wickets in the middle before Axar and Lalit Yadav brought their innings back on track.

"We never lost hope, we knew we could bat deep. Ricky always said never give up hope, never thought we were out of the game. We just followed our instincts. On this wicket, you can always accelerate, so it was about taking the game deep," Axar said.

DC have a long break before their next game in IPL 2022, which is against first-timers Gujarat Titans on April 2 in Pune.