'You do not judge a player in one year' - Mohammad Kaif shares brutal remark on potential trade deal after IPL 2026

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif did not hold back while calling out the recent reports of a trade between the Delhi Capitals and the Lucknow Super Giants, where Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav could swap jerseys.

According to Cricbuzz, the Super Giants could allow Pant to reunite with the Capitals, but they will take Kuldeep Yadav in exchange. While the Capitals already have wicketkeeping options like KL Rahul and Abishek Porel in their ranks, Lucknow do not have a reliable spinner who could make an impact through the middle overs.

Kuldeep had a disappointing outing with the ball in IPL 2026. In 12 matches, he picked up just 10 wickets at an average of 38.10 and an economy rate of 10.30. However, Kaif said that Kuldeep's value shouldn't be judged by just one bad season. The cricketer-turned-expert also added that during the left-arm spinner's tough times, none of the teams he played for, like the Kolkata Knight Riders or the Indian team, supported him.

Kaif picks India’s batting line-up before series vs England

"If Delhi send Kuldeep to LSG, there cannot be a bigger mistake than this. Forget this one year. You do not judge a player in one year. Ganguly is also there. He always says not to judge someone who is playing for ten years on the form of one season. If you panic at this time, which KKR did, Delhi picked Kuldeep and then see what he did except this one season. It will give you a clear picture," he said on his YouTube channel.

"If Delhi has done this trade, no one supports Kuldeep when he is going through a bad time. Neither did KKR, nor did the Indian team. In the Indian team as well, he is the first to be dropped. It is difficult to find a bowler with his skill. You need to back the player. Delhi did not lose because of Kuldeep. There were a lot of errors and one of the factor was of Kuldeep. If you out the blame on one player and put him out, it will be the biggest mistake if they let him go," Mohammad Kaif added.