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The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 ended with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defending their trophy, winning it for the second time, beating the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final. Now international cricket is back; however, the trades of the IPL news are coming as the squads start to build their teams. Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav have been in the news since yesterday.
The two players are involved in a trade where the Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are reportedly in talks to exchange Rishabh Pant with Kuldeep Yadav and INR 15 crore. Rishabh Pant has already stepped down from the leadership role after last season’s disaster. The Southpaw could be on his way to his former franchise.
Kuldeep Yadav set to leave DC
Kuldeep Yadav, who had a poor 2026 IPL season, has reportedly been involved in the trade of Pant from LSG to DC. Apart from Kuldeep, there will be some additional cash in the deal, as Rishabh was brought for a hefty price of INR 27 crore by LSG. Now he wants to leave the franchise as well.
While speaking on a YouTube channel, Mohammad Kaif stated that DC will make a massive mistake if they let go of Kuldeep Yadav. Sourav Ganguly is set to be appointed as the head coach, with Yuvraj Singh reportedly set to join as batting coach. Kaif also believes that the management should not judge him on the basis of one season.
There cannot be a bigger mistake than this- Mohammad Kaif on Kuldeep Yadav’s trade
“If Delhi send Kuldeep to LSG, there cannot be a bigger mistake than this. Forget this one year. You do not judge a player in one year. Ganguly is also there. He always says not to judge someone who is playing for ten years on the form of one season.”
DC is making mistake by trading @imkuldeep18 as told by @MohammadKaif pic.twitter.com/au58khUqL0
— Ravish Bisht (@ravishbofficial) June 20, 2026
Kaif also brought out the point where the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) did not back him after one poor season, and later, DC picked him in the auction, he completely changed and performed brilliantly on a small ground.
“If you panic at this time, which KKR did, Delhi picked Kuldeep and then see what he did except this one season. It will give you a clear picture,” he said on his YouTube channel.
It is difficult to find a bowler with his skill- Mohammad Kaif
“If Delhi has done this trade, no one supports Kuldeep when he is going through a bad time. Neither did KKR, nor did the Indian team. In the Indian team as well, he is the first to be dropped. It is difficult to find a bowler with his skill. You need to back the player. Delhi did not lose because of Kuldeep.”
“There were a lot of errors and one of the factor was of Kuldeep. If you out the blame on one player and put him out, it will be the biggest mistake if they let him go,” Mohammad Kaif added.
Kuldeep Yadav did not have the best of seasons as he picked 10 wickets, with an average of nearly 40 and an economy of 10.30. This was one of the reasons DC failed in the middle overs and did not qualify for the playoffs.
