Jaydev Unadkat has been the dark horse in the IPL auction this year, beating all expectations. The bowler has been picked up by the Rajasthan Royals for a massive Rs 11.5 crore, the highest among any Indian player sold in this year’s auctions. He is only behind Ben Stokes, who was also bought by Rajasthan Royals, for Rs 12.5 crore.
Unadkat had been a star in last year’s IPL season with the Rising Pune Supergiant, when he picked 24 wickets in 12 matches. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker of the season, just behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
To add to his list of credentials, Unadkat also picked up a hat-trick against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last season. The 24-year-old pulled off a triple-wicket maiden over in the last over of the match at a time when the fast bowler had to defend 13 runs, something that might have had a huge role to play in him being the most expensive Indian player.
Unadkat also etched a position in the Indian T20 team for the three-match series against Sri Lanka in 2017, where the fast bowler took four wickets throughout the series. He made his debut for India against South Africa in 2010 Test match at Centurion. He replaced Zaheer Khan who sat out due to an injury.
Rajasthan Royals’ Steve Smith, who captained him in Rising Pune Supergiants, will be a happy man, as Unadkat is back in his camp.
The 24-year-old’s impressive show with the ball in Sri Lanka and last year’s IPL has surely rewarded him. A bowler being sold for Rs 11.5 crore is also something quite surprising, as teams are usually not willing to invest a lot of money when it comes to bowlers. However, this kind of a price tag puts a huge responsibility upon Unadkat’s shoulders.
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