IPL 2022: 3 things to know about Rajasthan Royals' new pace weapon Kuldeep Sen

Sunday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 encounter between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) saw Kuldeep Sen make his debut in the T20 league. The 25-year-old pacer, who was purchased by the Royals for his base price of ₹20 lakh, made a significant impact in his very first IPL game.

He bowled four overs for 35 and claimed the big wicket of Deepak Hooda, cleaning up the LSG batter for 25. More significantly, he bowled the last over of the match, ensuring a three-run win for his team. Lucknow needed 15 runs to win off six balls with a rampant Marcus Stoinis at the crease.

Displaying amazing death-bowling skills under pressure, the debutant bowled three consecutive dot balls to the Australian all-rounder. Stoinis dispatched the last two balls for four and six respectively. However, RR's new pace weapon did enough to ensure victory for his IPL team.

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IPL 2022: Who is RR’s Kuldeep Sen?

In the wake of his ice-cool bowling performance against LSG, IPL fans are curious to find out more about the pace bowler. Here are three things to know about the other Kuldeep who grabbed headlines on Sunday.

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#1 He claimed a five-wicket haul in his debut Ranji season

Rajasthan Royals players during the match against LSG. Pic: IPLT20.COM

Kuldeep, who hails from Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, made his Ranji Trophy debut for Madhya Pradesh against Tamil Nadu in Dindigul in November 2018. In the same season, he claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in a match against Punjab.

He picked up five for 62 from 19.4 overs in Punjab’s first innings in a game played in Indore. His victims included Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Abhishek Sharma and Mayank Markande. Avesh Khan also claimed four scalps as Punjab were bowled out for 293. Kuldeep claimed two more wickets in the second innings and was named Player of the Match as the game ended in a draw.

The pacer has so far featured in 16 first-class matches and has claimed 44 wickets at an average of 30.50.

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#2 He dismissed Ajinkya Rahane on T20 debut

Kuldeep made his T20 debut in the 2018–19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in a match against Mumbai in Indore. While Mumbai thumped Madhya Pradesh by eight wickets in a chase of 144, the debutant had something to cheer about as he dismissed Ajinkya Rahane (one) caught behind. The pacer finished with decent figures of one for 22 from three overs.

Relatively inexperienced at the domestic level, he has so far featured in 19 T20 matches and five List A games. The pacer has 13 wickets to his name in the T20 format at a strike rate of 29.60.

He has four wickets from five List A matches at a high average of 76. Kuldeep made his List A debut against Tripura in September 2019. He was hammered for 80 runs in his 10 overs even though he managed to claim a couple of wickets.

Get the latest IPL 2022 live score updates here every day!

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#3 His father runs a small salon

Kuldeep Yadav (right) with RR players during the match on Monday. Pic: IPLT20.COM

Like many other Indian cricketers in the IPL before him, Kuldeep also comes from a very humble background. His father runs a small salon. According to reports, the pace bowler, who started playing cricket at the age of eight, was initially spotted by local coaches.

As per a report in Sportstar, the academy he played for waived his fees so that he could pursue his dream of becoming a cricketer. Former Madhya Pradesh captain Devendra Bundela was quoted as saying by the website:

“He broke into the Ranji Trophy team in 2018, which was my first season as the coach. We saw him at the junior level, and our selectors and the team management were very impressed with his performances, and that’s why we decided to draft him for the senior team. He has been around in the circuit for a while and is quite quick.”

In the 2021-22 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy held prior to the IPL auction, the Madhya Pradesh pacer claimed four wickets in five matches at a strike rate of 24.