'Rinku Singh is kalakaar': Kuldeep Yadav breaks silence on 'slap' controversy between DC-KKR star in IPL 2025

Kuldeep Yadav breaks silence on 'slap' controversy between him and Rinku Singh in IPL 2025

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season is one match away from coming to a conclusion as fans are all set to witness a team get crowned for the first time in 18 years of the competition. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), who have been part of the IPL ecosystem since its inception, meet in the finals, which will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

While this is one big takeaway from the season, the duration saw plenty other development take place, which included a "slap" episode between Delhi Capitals (DC) spinner Kuldeep Yadav and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Rinku Singh. The moment took place after the encounter between the two franchises at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, which KKR won by 14 runs.

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In a video, which spread like wildfire on social media, the duo were seen casually talking before Kuldeep caught Rinku off guard with a slap. The spinner then repeated the act and while Rinku didn't react, although his facial expressions did indicate some displeasure. Both franchises took note of the notion and were quick to issue clarification, stating all is well between the two stars.

After over a month from the incident, Kuldeep has finally spoken about the moment, and called Rinku "ghar ka ladka" before describing the relationship the two share. "Rinku is ghar ka ladka. He has stayed at my home a lot. He is like a younger brother. He has been with me from U-16 days. People saw on camera that I hit him but let me tell you he is a kalakaar (character). What can I tell them about our relationship? People don’t understand, and I can’t keep explaining these things," Kuldeep responded when asked about it at Indian Express' Idea Exchange.

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Meanwhile, DC finished fifth in IPL 2025 with Kuldeep leading the bowling charts for the franchise. The Chinaman spinner made 15 scalps in 14 games and maintained a decent economy of 7.07. Rinku, on the other hand, finished the season without a single half-century and mustered 206 runs from 11 innings at an average of 29.43.