Kuldeep Yadav joins Yorkshire for maiden county stint

India left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav has signed for Yorkshire for his maiden stint in county cricket. The 31-year-old will be available for five One-Day Cup matches before returning for three of Yorkshire's final four County Championship fixtures in September. Kuldeep has also been named in Yorkshire's squad for Friday's 50-over fixture against Glamorgan. The move comes at a significant juncture in Kuldeep's career, with the spinner slipping down the pecking order in India's white-ball setup. He was dropped from the England tour T20I squad and remained on the bench for the ODI series that followed. "I’m really pleased to be joining Yorkshire and grateful for this opportunity. It will be a real privilege to represent a Club with Yorkshire’s proud history,” Kuldeep said. "I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of playing in English conditions and after speaking with the management, I became really excited to join up with the team and I’m looking forward to making a positive contribution during my time at Headingley." Kuldeep has played 18 Tests for India, claiming 79 wickets at an average of 22.35, including 19 wickets in the five-Test home series against England in 2024. He has also taken 194 wickets in ODIs. Yorkshire general manager of cricket Gavin Hamilton said: "Kuldeep is an accomplished, international quality player who will add incredible strength to our lineup for these blocks of fixtures. "Given the dry summer we’ve experienced, we expect spin to play an important role during the closing stages of the season. Kuldeep gives us another dimension with his left-arm wrist spin and brings a wealth of experience at the highest level. We’re delighted to welcome him to Yorkshire."