Cricket News: From IPL rejection to India's comeback: Umesh Yadav's story of redemption

However, few would have predicted that Umesh Yadav would be the man called to take his spot in the squad.

Umesh has had a strange white-ball career, especially in recent times. He is a one-time IPL winner with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, yet his T20I credentials are often ignored.

Part of that is down to the fate that befell him after KKR released him. He joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore, but poor form meant he became the butt of jokes.

It even led to him losing his spot in the India team; his last T20I came back in 2019. And things did not look too much better for him when his nightmarish stint at RCB finally ended.

He was released ahead of the 2021 auction, then picked up by the Delhi Capitals for his base price of Rs. 1 crore. He didn't play a single game, then was released into the auction pool for 2022.

At a base price of Rs. 2 crores, he went unsold in the first round of the auction. KKR then repurchased him in the second round at his base price.

He likely knew this would be his final shot at proving his worth to the Indian selectors. And, in the first few matches of the 2022 season, he bowled like a man on a mission.

His form petered off slightly in the latter part of the campaign, but this wasn't down solely to him; KKR performed poorly as the season wore on.

However, Umesh ended the season having taken a good 16 wickets at an economy of 7.06 and a strike rate of 18.00.

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