Kuldeep Yadav was born and raised in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, the son of a brick kiln owner. In an interview, he revealed that it was his father who wanted him to continue playing cricket and even took him to a coach. Inspired by bowling greats Wasim Akram and Zaheer Khan, he wanted to become a left-arm seamer. However, given his slight build, his coach insisted on him becoming a wrist-spin bowler as he was impressed with the turn and variations he was providing unknowingly at the trials. Since then, he started following and watching videos of Shane Warne's bowling and made him his role model. He also revealed that earlier in his life, there was a dark phase in his life when he thought of giving up cricket and committing suicide, when he was not selected in the Uttar Pradesh’s under-15 team. He was a member of the Mumbai Indians squad in 2012 and signed up by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, whom he represented at the 2014 Champions League Twenty20. In January 2018, he was bought back by KKR in the 2018 IPL auction for INR 5.8 crores. In the 2019 edition, he played only 9 matches, taking 4 wickets and scoring a total of 12 runs. He broke down during the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, at Eden Gardens, because Moeen Ali thrashed 3 sixes and 2 fours during his last over. Kuldeep Yadav did not play any further match in the 2019 edition of IPL, after the encounter between RCB and KKR at Eden Gardens.
International career
On September 21, 2017, he became the third bowler for India to take a hat-trick in an ODI after Chetan Sharma and Kapil Dev. He took a hat-trick at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, against Australia, on 21 September 2017. He was selected in the Indian cricket team to play against West Indies in October 2014 but did not appear in any match. In February 2017 he was added to India's Test squad for their one-off match against Bangladesh. He made his Test debut for India against Australia on 25 March 2017, at the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium, taking four wickets in the first innings. Kuldeep Yadav is the first left-arm wrist spin bowler to represent India national cricket team in Test cricket. He is also only the third such bowler in Test cricket to take four wickets on debut. In June 2017, he was named in India's squad for a limited overs tour to the West Indies. He made his One Day International debut for India against the West Indies on 23 June 2017. However, during this game, he was unable to bowl a single delivery as the game ended with no result due to rain during the first innings while India was batting. He was ultimately able to bowl in the next match of the series, where he took three wickets. He made his Twenty20 International debut for India against the West Indies on 9 July 2017. On 3 July 2018, Kuldeep Yadav took his first five-for in a T20I and also became the first left-arm wrist-spin bowler to take five wickets in a T20I during the first T20I against England, in fact he also became only the third Indian after Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to take a five-wicket haul in a T20I. On 12 July 2018 during the first ODI against England, he grabbed his maiden five-wicket haul in an ODI and also set a new record for registering the best bowling figures by a left-arm spin bowler of any kind in an ODI. He also shattered the record of Shahid Afridi for registering the best bowling figures by a spinner against England in ODIs and also broke Afridi's record for recording the best ever bowling figures by a spinner in an ODI in England. On 6 October 2018, in the first test against West Indies he took his first five-wicket haul in Tests. After an impressive showing against Australia, in the T20I series of India tour of Australia 2018/19, Kuldeep jumped 20 places to claim a career-best third position in the MRF ICC T20I Bowlers Rankings, updated on 26 November 2018. On 6 January 2019, in the fourth Test against Australia at the SCG and in his first Test match on Australian soil, he took his second five-wicket haul in Tests, in Australia's first innings. On 11 February 2019, he moved to second position in the T20I Bowlers Rankings. In April 2019, he was named in India's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. On 30 June 2019, in the match against England, Kuldeep played in his 50th ODI. On 18 December 2019, against West Indies became the first bowler for India to take two hat-tricks in ODIs.
