Last year, Kuldeep Yadav ended up as India’s highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup

Going into the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, if there is any team that is being hyped up, it is undoubtedly defending champions India. India has a star-studded lineup in all areas, but whether they win is a question for another day. One among many of those stars is Kuldeep Yadav, who has brought his career on track and is now carrying the burden of scalping wickets on his shoulders.

Ahead of the tournament, let us check out Yadav’s T20 career so far across domestic and international platforms.

Yadav in IPL

Like many talents, Kuldeep Yadav is also one player who used the Indian Premier League (IPL) to climb the national ladder. Yadav made his IPL debut in 2016 and, since then, has played 98 games, having picked up 102 wickets. Yadav also has a best figure of 4/14, whereas in the 98 games, he maintained an average economy of 8.04 and also grabbed a four-wicket haul.

T20I stats at a glance

Despite being 31, Yadav has relatively less experience of playing T20I games, with only 53 matches under his belt. However, in 53 belts, he has picked a whopping 94 wickets at an average of 13.74 while registering an average economy of 6.99 and a best figure of 5/17. Not to forget, he also has three four-wicket hauls and two five-fors.

Asia Cup 2025 exploits

Last year in the Asia Cup, Kuldeep Yadav gave his best performance ever in a tournament, grabbing 17 wickets in seven matches. He outperformed other bowlers in the tournament, with the second-highest wicket-taker standing at 10 wickets in seven matches. India’s Chinaman registered a best figure of 4/7 and an economy of 6.27 in the tournament, which was quite impressive given runs flow at a rapid pace in a format like T20.

Decent in the last World Cup

(Credit- News18)

Yadav also had a decent campaign in the T20 World Cup 2024 with 10 wickets in five matches at an average economy of 6.95 and a figure of 3/19. Kuldeep was instrumental in India’s World Cup victory, and therefore, in the upcoming edition, a lot will ride on his shoulders for another trophy.