Kuldeep Sen is an Indian cricketer who plays as a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He came to wider attention while representing Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and made his international debut for India in 2022. Known for his ability to bowl at brisk pace and extract bounce, Sen represents Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket.
| Full name | Kuldeep Sen |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 October 1996, Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Role | Bowler |
| Batting style | Right-handed |
| Bowling style | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Domestic team | Madhya Pradesh |
| IPL team | Rajasthan Royals |
| National side | India |
Kuldeep Sen hails from Rewa in the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh. He grew up in modest circumstances and pursued cricket through local academies before being inducted into the Madhya Pradesh state set-up. His pace and ability to consistently bowl above 140 km/h drew the attention of selectors at the age-group and senior domestic levels.
Sen made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy and progressively established himself in the state's pace attack across formats. He featured in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy circuits, and was part of the Madhya Pradesh squad that lifted the Ranji Trophy in the 2021–22 season, the state's first title in the competition's history.
Sen was signed by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2022 mega auction. He made his IPL debut during the 2022 season and was retained by the franchise for subsequent seasons. He was used primarily as a back-up pacer and a bowler capable of bowling tough overs in the middle and death phases.
Sen earned his maiden India call-up in 2022. He made his ODI and T20I debuts for India during the team's tour of the West Indies in 2022, becoming one of several uncapped pacers blooded by the national selectors during that period as part of efforts to widen the fast-bowling pool ahead of major ICC events.
Sen is regarded as a hit-the-deck bowler who relies on pace, hard lengths and steep bounce rather than swing. He has worked on developing variations such as the slower ball and the cutter to suit limited-overs roles, particularly the death overs in T20 cricket.
Sen's progression from Rewa to the national side is often cited as an example of the depth of fast-bowling talent emerging from smaller centres in India. His selection alongside other uncapped pacers reflected a broader strategy by Indian selectors to rotate and rest senior fast bowlers while testing newer options in bilateral series.