IPL 2022: Cricket fraternity lauds KKR's Umesh Yadav as he becomes Purple Cap holder
Apr 02, 2022
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 2 : Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Umesh Yadav on Friday became the current Purple Cap holder of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
Umesh achieved this feat during the clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Friday, here at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. He scalped four wickets and helped his side in clinching the victory by six wickets.
Initially, Umesh went unsold at the mega auctions of IPL 2022 but was later bought by KKR for Rs 2 crore. The pacer proved his worth in just three matches of the season as he scalped a total of 8 wickets.
"Umesh Yadav was not picked in initial auction rounds And today he is one of the leading wicket-takers of IPL. Moral: Trust yourself, even when no one else does," tweeted former Indian spinner, Amit Mishra.
"@y_umesh played just 2 games in last 2 seasons in the IPL. And even with the Indian team he only gets a game when someone's injured or rested. But such is his attitude that you never see him complain. Warms my heart to see him do well. One of the good guys," tweeted former Indian batter, Wasim Jaffer.
Umesh started his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2010 and played for the franchise for four seasons. He was the fourth-highest wicket-taker in 2012. In 2014, he parted ways with DC and joined KKR, and stayed with them for the next four seasons.
In 2018, the pacer was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and took 20 wickets in 14 matches. Following that, his form deteriorated and he could not give a promising performance, as he scalped only 8 wickets in 2019.
He played only two matches in 2020 and was released by RCB in 2021. He was bought back by DC but was not given any chance to play. But in 2022, the tables completely turned in favour of Umesh as he took 8 wickets in three matches for KKR and became the Purple Cap holder.
Coming to the match, Andre Russell's unbeaten knock of 70 from 31 balls helped KKR score 141/4 in 14.3 overs in reply to PBKS 137 to register a six-wicket victory and make a mockery of the chase.
PBKS were bowled out for a modest 137 in 18.2 overs as Umesh Yadav bagged four wickets for 23 runs to earn the 'Player of the Match' award.
