Kuldeep Yadav Career Stats: 482 Wickets of Left-Arm Wrist Spin
482 wickets. That is the combined total Kuldeep Yadav holds across Test, ODI and T20 cricket in the CricMind global database, built from the Cricsheet ball-by-ball archive. Split the haul by format and it is almost perfectly balanced between the white-ball games, 198 in ODIs and 207 in T20 cricket, with 77 more in Tests at the best average of his career.
Kuldeep is India's left-arm wrist spinner, a bowler whose stock ball spins into the right-hander and whose googly turns away. The numbers below show how that rare method has translated across all three formats.
Career at a Glance
| Format | Mat | Runs | Avg | SR | HS | 100s | Wkts | Bowl Avg | Econ | Balls/Wkt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 18 | 243 | 12.15 | 26.6 | 40 | 0 | 77 | 23.47 | 3.56 | 39.5 |
| ODI | 119 | 202 | 9.62 | 50.6 | 19 | 0 | 198 | 26.54 | 5.13 | 31.0 |
| T20 | 162 | 258 | 10.75 | 79.6 | 35 | 0 | 207 | 21.68 | 7.88 | 16.5 |
The T20 line combines T20 internationals for India with IPL matches for the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Capitals.
Kuldeep's Standing in the Game
Left-arm wrist spin is one of the scarcest skills in cricket, and India have built white-ball attacks around it. Kuldeep's ODI record is the clearest evidence: 198 wickets in 119 matches, at an average of 26.54 and an economy of 5.13. That is a wicket every 31 balls, or roughly one every five overs, from a bowler whose job is to attack through the middle phase of an innings.
What stands out most is the consistency across formats. His bowling average sits between 21.68 and 26.54 in all three, and a bowler who averages in the low-to-mid twenties in Tests, ODIs and T20s alike is a genuine all-format wicket-taker, not a specialist who thrives in one setting only.
Test Cricket: The Best Average of All
Kuldeep's Test record is the most striking of the three. 77 wickets in 18 Tests works out to more than four wickets per match, at an average of 23.47 and an economy of 3.56. He has taken a wicket every 39.5 balls, a strike rate that would sit comfortably alongside specialist strike bowlers of any era.
The low match count against such a high wicket tally reflects his role in India's Test side. With finger spinners long established in home conditions, his appearances have often been selective, but when picked he has taken wickets at a rate few spinners can match.
With the bat in Test cricket, he has faced 915 balls for his 243 runs, a strike rate of 26.6 that reflects a willingness to defend and hang around at the tail. His Test top score of 40 is the highest of his career in any format.
ODI Cricket: The Middle-Overs Weapon
In ODIs, Kuldeep has bowled in 117 of his 119 matches, sending down 6,145 balls. Fifty-over cricket punishes spinners who drop short, because batters have time to wait for the loose ball. An economy of 5.13 alongside a strike rate of 31 balls per wicket shows a bowler who has struck a hard balance: attacking enough to take wickets, controlled enough not to leak runs.
Browse the format's full leaderboards on the ODIs hub.
T20 Cricket: The Fastest Strike Rate
The T20 numbers carry the best strike rate of his career. 207 wickets in 162 matches comes from 3,419 balls, a wicket every 16.5 deliveries, which is fewer than three overs per dismissal. His T20 average of 21.68 is the lowest across his three formats.
The economy of 7.88 is the price of that approach. Wrist spinners in the shortest format are often targeted, and Kuldeep's role is to take wickets in the middle overs rather than simply contain. When a wicket arrives roughly every three overs, a slightly higher run rate is a trade captains are glad to make.
His IPL career has run through two franchises: the Kolkata Knight Riders, where he began, and the Delhi Capitals, where he became a central part of the attack.
The Batting Numbers
Kuldeep's value lies with the ball. Across all three formats he has 703 runs, with no fifties and a total of four sixes. His highest scores are 40 in Tests, 19 in ODIs and 35 in T20 cricket. In ODIs he has batted in only 38 of his 119 matches, which shows how rarely the lower order has needed him.
What the Numbers Show
- An all-format wicket-taker. A bowling average between 21.68 and 26.54 in every format is rare for any spinner.
- Test cricket's hidden strength. More than four wickets a Test, at a strike rate of 39.5, is the most efficient part of his record.
- Built for attack. In every format his strike rate is the headline: 39.5 balls per wicket in Tests, 31.0 in ODIs and 16.5 in T20s.
- Balanced white-ball haul. 198 ODI wickets and 207 T20 wickets show equal impact in both limited-overs formats.
See where he stands among the leading wicket-takers of every era in the all-time cricket records, or open his full career profile.
FAQ
How many wickets has Kuldeep Yadav taken across formats?
The Cricsheet archive records 482 wickets for Kuldeep Yadav: 77 in Tests, 198 in ODIs and 207 in T20 cricket, the last figure combining T20 internationals and the IPL.
What is Kuldeep Yadav's Test bowling average?
His Test bowling average is 23.47, from 77 wickets in 18 Tests, with an economy of 3.56.
Which IPL teams has Kuldeep Yadav played for?
His IPL record includes matches for the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Capitals.
What type of bowler is Kuldeep Yadav?
Kuldeep is a left-arm wrist spinner. His stock delivery turns into the right-handed batter, and his googly turns away from them.