Want to pick wickets and keep things tight at same time: Kuldeep Yadav on his game plan for CSK clash in IPL 2025

After putting up a stunning show in the first two matches in Visakhapatnam, the Delhi Capitals (DC) are gearing up for their first away game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which will take place at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.

Speaking on the eve of the match, Delhi Capitals left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, as quoted by the Delhi Capitals press release, "Chennai Super Kings have some quality players in their lineup. My plan (against them) is simple. I want to pick wickets and keep things tight at the same time."

"Length is very important. I'm focusing on what lengths to bowl at. Moreover, getting the ball to turn has been my strength, and I want to continue doing that," he added.

Delhi Capitals' opponents for the game, Chennai Super Kings, have lost two and won one in three matches so far. Kuldeep praised his counterpart, Noor Ahmed, who is currently the leading wicket-taker in the competition.

"Noor (Ahmed) is bowling really well, and he is someone who is trying to learn from everyone. We had a chat last night about bowling leg spin, as well. He has some good pace also, so it's very difficult for a batter to read him and especially when you play in Chennai," he said.

"I believe a wrist spinner, whether you bowl right or left arm, you have to adapt and you have to learn the skill of spinning the ball, and that's what I have done over the years. Even now, I just look at how I can improve," he further explained while talking about the speciality of wrist spinners.

The 30-year-old picked up his 50th wicket for Delhi Capitals in their previous outing. Speaking about his success and the influence of the legendary Shane Warne, Kuldeep said, "I grew up watching all videos of Shane Warne over the years, and it helped me learn a lot. Even when I was in the academy, one of my seniors, who used to bowl leg spin, I learnt a lot from him as well. When you have someone next to you and you are bowling along with them, you learn a lot."

Delhi Capitals will play Chennai Super Kings in the third match of IPL 2025 at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.

Squads:

Delhi Capitals: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul(w), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel(c), Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Darshan Nalkande, Dushmantha Chameera, T Natarajan, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Manvanth Kumar L, Madhav Tiwari

Chennai Super Kings Squad: Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), Jamie Overton, Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, Devon Conway, Shaik Rasheed, Sam Curran, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shreyas Gopal, Anshul Kamboj, Nathan Ellis, Gurjapneet Singh, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Andre Siddarth C, Vansh Bedi, Deepak Hooda.