Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir has said that the team is not putting much pressure on the chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who has drawn a lot of attention after he shone for team India in the fourth Test match against Australia at Dharamsala,

“We should not talk about Kuldeep a lot. He should be left alone to hone his skills. We are not going to put too much pressure on him as we have other bowlers who can take that pressure. Let him enjoy his game. We want him to bowl freely. He is one of our attacking options. He will be a match-winner for us,” Gambhir said.

Till now, Kuldeep has played three games for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL and this year, we might see him getting some more chances after he impressed everyone in his debut Test match.

Further, Gambhir said that it would have been great for the team if Umesh Yadav was available for them, but now it’s an opportunity for other players to perform in his absence,

“Umesh, we thought if he could start it would have been a big advantage, but it gives others an opportunity. We have got a pretty good bowling attack, so hopefully, the guys can deliver.”

Yadav was earlier ruled out for the first two weeks of the T20 league but later KKR team management confirmed that Yadav will play the first home game of KKR which will be played on April 13.

Last year, Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Lions squared off in two games and on both the occasions, it was Gujarat Lions that tasted success. Kolkata Knight Riders will aim to hunt Lions in their own den this time.

Gujarat Lions will miss out on the services of Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja in the opening game. Both Jadeja and Bravo are expected to join the squad in the second week of the IPL.