IPL 2018: Jaydev Unadkat enjoying the spotlight after record purchase at IPL auctions

RR roped in Jaydev Unadkat for 11.50 crores.

Unadkat played for Rising Pune Supergiants last season. (Express)

Jaydev Unadkat will remember the 2018 IPL auctions for a long time now as he was the highest Indian player roped in by any franchise. 

Heads turned when the Rajasthan Royals paid $1.8 million dollars for the left-arm seamer, making him the most expensive Indian player at this year's IPL auction.Even Unadkat said he was surprised at the price tag, which will earn him more than $100,000 per game when the competition starts next month.

The 26-year-old was second only to England all-rounder Ben Stokes at the auction, despite a stop-start international career so far.

Unadkat made his international debut in 2010 aging just  19. Since then he has played just one Test and a handful of T20I games for his country. 

"He is a very promising bowler and will only get better with the more matches he plays. I like him," former India captain Sunil Gavaskar told AFP in Sri Lanka.

The recently concluded T20I Tri-Series in Sri Lanka which has reopened the gates of his comeback in the national team once again. He is eying to have a good IPL season in order to knock the door of the Indian selectors for a comeback in the Indian ODI squad. 

Even Australian legendary pacer Brett Lee was also impressed by whatever he saw of Unadkat in Sri Lanka. 

"He takes his cricket to the next level when he has to. He has got a few gears and I like now the changeup in his action as well," former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee told AFP in Colombo.

"And that's what you need to find in T20 cricket, it's not all about running in and bowling flat out in T20. You still need that skill set -- yorkers, slow bouncers and that type of things," added the cricketer-turned-commentator who was part of the same Kolkata Knight Riders squad as Unadkat in 2011.

Unadkat picked up seven wickets in four games as India lifted the tri-series trophy in Sri Lanka after edging out Bangladesh in a thrilling final on Sunday.

 
 

By Anshuman Roy - 22 Mar, 2018

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