Will try to get them out as early as possible: Kuldeep Yadav 

Kuldeep Yadav backs Tigers’ batting order, reflects on senior role and MI challenge ahead of first home game

Kuldeep Yadav. 

Rakesh Thapliyal

New Delhi: The Delhi Capitals will take on Mumbai Indians in their first home game of the IPL 2026 season at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Saturday.

Having made a strong start to their campaign, the Capitals will look to build on the momentum as they return home. In their previous outing, DC recovered from 26/4 in the powerplay to chase down 142 with a six-wicket win, courtesy an unbeaten 119-run stand between Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs.

Speaking ahead of the game, Kuldeep Yadav said, “Your strength is your identity. If you are an attacking spinner, you should not move away from that. If you are contributing to the team by taking wickets, there is nothing better than that. The team also expects you to pick wickets. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but your mindset should always remain attacking.”

“Whenever a batter puts you under pressure, there’s a tendency to move away from your strengths and look for safer options to get out of the situation. But I believe you should always focus on your strengths,” he added.

Reflecting on his role as a senior bowler in the side, he said, “My primary role is on the field. Most of my discussions also happen there. Axar is a senior player, and with KL bhai as wicketkeeper-batter, the communication between bowlers is very good. We’ve just played one match, and it’s been a good start. We are not under any pressure regarding our bowling unit. As the tournament progresses, we will learn more, improve, and look to put opposition teams under pressure.”

On the batting order and the changes in the last game, Kuldeep said, “Nitish has been around for a long time and is an experienced IPL player. He has delivered consistently. Pathum is a quality player as well, so there’s no need to panic at top. It was just the first match. Everyone wants a good start, but sometimes it doesn’t happen. We are confident that we will perform well in the upcoming matches.”

“We showed in the last game that even after losing early wickets, we have the ability to come back and finish the chase,” he further added.

Speaking about the challenge against Mumbai Indians, Kuldeep said, “They are a strong team with a very solid batting lineup. They performed well in the first match too. With players like Rohit Bhai, Surya, Hardik, and Tilak, they have a lot of experience and quality. Indian players have consistently done well for MI over the years. We will plan accordingly and try to get them out as early as possible.”

Delhi Capitals will look to continue their positive start as they face Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on 4 April 2026.