Kuldeep's form took a dip while playing under Karthik's captaincy at KKR.
Karthik feels that those hard conversations may have soured his relationship with the left-arm wrist spinner.
Kuldeep made his KKR debut under Gautam Gambhir's captaincy in 2016. He was bought back by KKR in the IPL 2018 mega-auction, where the franchise also signed Karthik and appointed him as captain.
While Kuldeep picked up 17 wickets in 16 matches in 2018, his form took a dip in the following season. He played only 14 matches in the next two seasons for KKR, claiming only five wickets.
It was during the same period that Kuldeep Yadav was dropped from the Indian side. Karthik did not mention the time he had the tough conversation with Kuldeep but it is likely between IPL 2019 and 2020.
"Leading a franchise is altogether a different job. There are many other cultures, and you will find it challenging to deal with other individuals. You can be very honest with them. As a leader, you will lose out on certain friendships," Karthik said while speaking on India off-spinner R Ashwin’s YouTube channel.
"During my time as KKR captain, Kuldeep (Yadav) was not doing as well as he is right now. There were tough conversations with him, and I don't think he would have appreciated me at that stage. I had to be tough with him," he added.
Kuldeep, who missed the entire IPL 2021 due to a knee injury, was released by KKR ahead of the 2022 mega-auction, where Delhi Capitals secured his services. Playing for the Delhi-based franchise turned out to be a game-changer for him as he picked up 21 wickets that season.
Subsequently, Kuldeep forced his way back into the Indian side and re-established himself as one of India’s leading spinners across formats.
Karthik claimed that those couple of years made Kuldeep a better bowler. "It was a hard time for Kuldeep. I think those tough times have made him a better bowler today. My bad luck is that I had to be a part of that bad phase in his life. I hope he understands what I did. I do not want him to appreciate it and be ok with it. You have to make decisions for the team and there was nothing personal," he remarked.