Kuldeep Yadav's recent absence put down to groin niggle; no update on return yet

Delhi Capitals (DC) spinner Kuldeep Yadav was a glaring absence in the franchise's contrasting set of results in their home matches in Vizag recently. The left-arm wrist spinner played DC's first couple of matches in the tournament, and picked up three wickets.

According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Kuldeep is struggling with a groin niggle at the minute, and has been advised to rest by the medical team as a precautionary move. The full extent of the injury or the timeframe of his absence is yet to be completely determined.

It is to be noted that Kuldeep Yadav has travelled with the team to Mumbai for their upcoming clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium on April 7.

The left-arm spinner's career trajectory is on an upward course as he is making a serious case to be an all-format player for India. He is currently a pivotal player in the ODI squad after replacing Yuzvendra Chahal as the lead spinner.

Even in Tests, Kuldeep was recently preferred over Axar Patel in the home series against England. The move turned out to be a masterstroke as his innate wicket-taking ability coupled with his improved batting propelled India to a 4-1 series win. He was the joint third-highest wicket-taker in the series with 19 scalps to his name, including seven in the series finale in Dharamsala, for which he was adjudged Player of the Match.

Delhi Capitals struggling in IPL 2024 with three losses off the first four matches already

There were a lot of expectations from DC in the 2024 season following their disappointing 2023 campaign, where they finished ninth. With Rishabh Pant's return and an eventful outing at the 2024 mini-auction, DC were expected to make a huge statement.

However, tame losses to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) kept them pinned in the bottom half of the table. A win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was slated to be something huge, but it was followed by a mammoth defeat to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

In Kuldeep's absence, DC have gone pace heavy with Axar Patel being the lone spinner in the playing XI. The franchise have the option of playing Lalit Yadav and Vicky Ostwal from the bench, if needed.