IPL 2022: Who is Kuldeep Sen? Bowler who defended 15 runs in last over vs Stoinis

The Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants, Indian Premier League 2022 match on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium ended with RR earning a three runs victory, following a phenomenal bowling display. Batting first in the match, Rajasthan scored 165 runs in the first innings, courtesy of an unbeaten 59 runs knock in 36 balls by Shimron Hetmyer. Chasing the target, Lucknow found themselves at 151/8, with 15 runs required to win off six balls with the presence of Australian allrounder Marcus Stoinis on the crease.

IPL debutant defends 15 runs in the final over against LSG allrounder Marcus Stoinis

The task to bowl the final over of the match was handed over to IPL debutant Kuldeep Sen by RR skipper Sanju Samson, which turned out to be a brilliant decision. With Avesh Khan taking a single in the first ball, Stonis needed to hit 14 runs in five balls to take LSG across the winning line. 25-year-old speedster Sen bowled three successive dot balls and reduced the equation to 14 runs to win from two balls. Although Stoinis hit a four and a six to end the over, it was all too late for LSG as RR earned the victory by three runs, courtesy of the brilliant death bowling by the debutant against Stoinis, who is considered as one of the best T20 allrounders around the globe.

Who is Kuldeep Sen?

Born on October 22, 1996, Kuldeep Sen hails from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, and was bought by RR at his base price of 20 lakhs in the IPL 2022 mega auction. Before making his IPL debut on Sunday, Kuldeep had the experience of playing first-class cricket for four years for Madhya Pradesh. He made his Ranji Trophy debut during the 2018-19 season and was first noticed for taking his maiden five-wicket haul against Punjab in November 2018.

He made his T20 debut for MP during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2018-19 and later made his List A debut in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20 season in September 2019. The 25-year-old picked up the wicket of LSG allrounder Deepak Hooda on Sunday, which was his 13th wicket overall in his 19-match T20 cricket career. Rajasthan reached the top of the IPL 2022 points table with six points, following Sen’s effort to defend 15 runs in the final over.

(Image: iplt20.com/BCCI)