Jaydev Unadkat is a left arm fast bowler from India who has made a name for himself in the world of cricket with his impressive performances on the field. He was born on 18 October 1991 in Porbandar, Gujarat, India.
Unadkat made his first-class debut for Saurashtra in 2010 at the age of 19. He made an immediate impact, taking 13 wickets in his first three matches. His consistent performances earned him a place in the Indian Under-19 team that won the World Cup in 2012.
Unadkat was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2010 for the Indian Premier League (IPL).
However, he had to wait till 2013 to make his debut for the franchise. In his debut season, he played a key role in KKR’s title-winning campaign, taking 11 wickets in 12 matches.
Unadkat’s impressive performance in the IPL earned him a call-up to the Indian national team in 2013. He made his ODI debut in December 2013 against South Africa.
He had a memorable debut, taking 4 for 41 in his 10 overs. , However, he could not retain his place in the team and was dropped after a few matches.
Unadkat continued to perform well in domestic cricket and in the IPL. He was the highest wicket-taker for Saurashtra in the 2015–16 season, taking 40 wickets in 10 matches. He also had a successful stint in the IPL with Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2017 season, taking 24 wickets in 12 matches.
In 2018, Unadkat was bought by the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL auction for Rs 11.5 crore, making him the costliest Indian player in that year’s auction. He had a mixed season, taking 11 wickets in 15 matches.
Unadkat continued to impress in domestic cricket, and his consistent performances earned him a recall to the Indian squad for the T20I series against Sri Lanka in 2020. He had a good series with 4 wickets in 3 matches.
Unadkat’s best performance in international cricket came in the T20I series against Zimbabwe in 2021. He took 4 wickets including a hat-trick in the first match, becoming only the second Indian bowler to achieve the feat in T20Is. He ended the series with 7 wickets in 3 matches.
Unadkat has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket and IPL. He has taken 327 wickets in 90 first-class matches, 210 wickets in 181 List A matches and 89 wickets in 84 T20 matches. He has also scored 2066 runs in first class cricket including 2 centuries.
Unadkat is known for his ability to swing the ball both ways and his accurate yorkers. He is also a handy lower order batsman and a good fielder.