Kuldeep Yadav announced his return to T20I cricket in style. Riding on his sensational spell, India secured a brilliant nine-wicket victory over the UAE to kickstart their Asia Cup campaign on a winning note.

Kuldeep Yadav Produced a Sensational Spell In the Asia Cup 2025
There were reports that Kuldeep might not be playing a part in India's Asia Cup opener. But the Delhi Capitals spinner emerged as the best Indian bowler as India launched their Asia Cup title defence to send a clear message to other teams in the competition. Kuldeep dismissed Muhammad Zuhaib, Rahul Chopra, Harshit Kaushik and Haider Ali to demolish the UAE batting lineup.

In the proceedings, he edged past Axar Patel and Ashwin's tally of 72 wickets each and now boasts 73 scalps in 41 matches in T20Is. He is now the 6th highest wicket taker for India in the shortest format, and given his current form, he could get past Jasprit Bumrah, who has 90 wickets to his name.

Kuldeep was also named in the Test squad for the England tour but didn't get to play a single game in the five-match series.

India Secured Record-breaking Win Against UAE
UAE's 57 run was the second lowest in Asia Cup's history after Hong Kong's 38. With more than half of the innings left to play, India registered its most significant victory in the T20Is (in terms of balls remaining). India gunned down the target with 93 balls to spare, improving its record of 81 against Scotland at the same venue in 2021.

Apart from Kuldeep's four-wicket haul, Shivam Dube also fared well with the ball as he added three scalps to his name. Abhishek Sharma looked to be in the mood and smashed a fiery v16-ball 30 to end the game in just 4.3 overs. His explosive innings consisted of two fours and three sixes.