'Now that you have retained him, they should play him': Gambhir on Kuldeep Yadav

Former India opener and Kolkata Knight Rider skipper Gautam Gambhir said that he was surprised that the Indian Premier League franchise chose to retain left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav for the 2021 season.

While speaking on Star Sports network, Gambhir said that KKR should have allowed Kuldeep to go elsewhere in case he is not in their plans for the future.

"I am a little surprised about Kuldeep Yadav being retained because he did not get the opportunities. I would have wanted to see Kuldeep Yadav go to a franchise where he gets an opportunity to play," the former left-handed batsman said.

"Because if you are playing for India and not part of your franchise's playing XI, it is somewhere or the other be harmful to your career."

During the 2020 season, Kuldeep could not leave any impact in the league as he featured in just 5 out of 14 matches, despite Narine being out for some games.

"Now that you have retained him, they should play him. Otherwise, I feel Kuldeep Yadav should have himself said that if he is not in their scheme of things, he should be given an opportunity to go and play somewhere else," he added.

"If Kuldeep Yadav had come into the auction, a lot of franchises would have gone for him," he signed off.

The Kolkata-based franchise also retained Varun Chakravarthy and Narine in the team, and in that case, which means Kuldeep may find it hard to make it into the team in the 2021 season.