Jaydev Unadkat IPL Stats, Price, Runs, Age, Century, Debut, Team

Jaydev Unadkat is one of the most travelled cricketers in Indian Premier League history. Since making his debut in 2010, the left-arm seamer from Porbandar has turned out for eight different franchises, commanded some of the biggest auction prices of his era, and taken 114 wickets across 116 IPL matches. Few Indian pacers have stayed relevant in the league for as long as he has.

Unadkat’s story is really two stories in one. On the field, he is a skilful swing and seam bowler who relies on cutters, slower balls and clever changes of pace rather than raw speed, with a career-best 5 for 25 and a famous last-over hat-trick to his name. Off the field, he became the face of the IPL auction’s unpredictability, twice going for more than Rs 8 crore and once for Rs 11.5 crore, before settling into a valued senior role with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the later years of his career.

This page covers Jaydev Unadkat’s complete IPL record: his career overview, auction history and prices, season-by-season franchise numbers, his bowling style, his most famous spells, and every team he has represented.

Jaydev Unadkat IPL Career Overview

Unadkat made his IPL debut in 2010 for Kolkata Knight Riders, having risen to prominence as the leader of India’s pace attack at that year’s Under-19 World Cup. Over the following seasons he became a fixture of the auction circuit, moving between franchises almost every year. His career totals of 116 matches and 114 wickets, at an average of 30.74 and an economy rate of 8.94, reflect a bowler who has been trusted with the new ball and the death overs by a long list of captains.

His peak as a wicket-taker came in 2017 with Rising Pune Supergiant, when he took 24 wickets in 12 matches, including two five-wicket hauls and a hat-trick. He was also a regular starter for Rajasthan Royals across multiple seasons between 2018 and 2021, playing 39 matches for the franchise. Stints with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants followed, before he found a stable home with Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2024, where he was retained for three straight seasons as an experienced Indian seamer.

With the bat he is a handy lower-order hitter, scoring 201 IPL runs with a best of 26, and he is a reliable fielder with more than 30 career catches in the league.

Auction History and Price

Few players define the IPL auction drama quite like Jaydev Unadkat. His price history reads like a market chart: sought after, expensive, then sensibly priced as teams recalibrated. Rajasthan Royals paid Rs 11.50 crore for him in the 2018 auction, making him one of the most expensive Indian buys that year. They went back in again in 2019, paying Rs 8.40 crore, and then Rs 3.00 crore in each of the 2020 and 2021 auctions.

Mumbai Indians bought him for Rs 1.30 crore in 2022, Lucknow Super Giants picked him up for Rs 50 lakh in 2023, and Sunrisers Hyderabad signed him for Rs 1.60 crore in 2024 before retaining him at Rs 1.00 crore for both 2025 and 2026. The later, modest prices tell their own story: teams had learned exactly what they were getting, a disciplined left-arm seamer who could bowl in all phases of the innings, and SRH valued that reliability enough to keep him for a third straight season.

Season-by-Season Performance

Unadkat’s IPL seasons show a bowler who has adapted to many different roles. His early years with Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals gave him limited opportunities, but his move to Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 changed everything: 24 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of just over 7, making him one of the standout Indian seamers of that season.

His four seasons with Rajasthan Royals from 2018 to 2021 brought him the most matches of any franchise, 39 games and 28 wickets, as he bowled regularly at the death alongside the team’s overseas quicks. A short stint with Mumbai Indians in 2022 yielded 7 wickets in 5 matches, while his time with Lucknow Super Giants in 2023 was frustrating, with no wickets in 7 matches. His revival came with Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2024 onwards, where he settled into a support role behind the team’s star new-ball pair and was retained for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, taking 4 wickets in the 2026 campaign.

Across his whole career, his best single-season return remains that 2017 campaign with Pune, and his two five-wicket hauls both came in that purple patch.

Playing Style and Strengths

Jaydev Unadkat is a classic left-arm medium-fast bowler in the Indian tradition: he swings the new ball, hits the deck hard, and survives at the death through variation rather than pace. His stock ball moves away from right-handers, and he has developed an excellent slower-ball bouncer and a deceptive cutter that he uses to great effect in the final overs. Because he bowls at a modest pace, his success depends on control, and his economy rate of under 9 across 116 IPL matches shows how well he has managed that trade-off.

His left-arm angle is itself a weapon, giving captains a point of difference in attacks dominated by right-arm seamers. He is comfortable bowling in the powerplay, where his swing can take early wickets, and at the death, where his slower balls and yorkers make him hard to get away. He is also a fine athlete in the field and a useful lower-order batter who can clear the ropes, with a career IPL batting strike rate close to 119.

Key Performances

The spell that defines Jaydev Unadkat’s IPL career came on May 6, 2017, playing for Rising Pune Supergiant against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad. Defending 149, Pune needed their bowlers to produce something special, and Unadkat delivered one of the great death-bowling displays in league history. He dismissed Yuvraj Singh to break the chase, and with Sunrisers needing 13 runs off the final over, he bowled a wicket-maiden: Bipul Sharma, Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar fell in succession to complete a hat-trick, sealing a 12-run win. His figures that night included his second five-wicket haul of the season, and he became only the second bowler after James Faulkner to take two five-fors in IPL history.

His career-best figures of 5 for 25 also came during that 2017 season, and his 24 wickets that year remain the best single-season return of his career. Earlier, he had taken 4 for the season with Delhi, but it was the Pune campaign, played under the guidance of captain Steven Smith and senior pros like MS Dhoni and Ben Stokes, that showed the world what he could do with full backing.

Teams Played For

Jaydev Unadkat has played for eight IPL franchises, one of the highest totals of any player in league history. He began with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2010, then represented Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals in the early years of his career. His breakthrough came with Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017. He then spent four seasons with Rajasthan Royals from 2018 to 2021, followed by a season each with Mumbai Indians in 2022 and Lucknow Super Giants in 2023. Since 2024 he has played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who retained him for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, valuing his experience and control with the ball.

FAQs

When did Jaydev Unadkat make his IPL debut?

Jaydev Unadkat made his IPL debut in 2010 for Kolkata Knight Riders, shortly after leading India’s pace attack at the 2010 Under-19 World Cup. He was one of the youngest Indian seamers in the league that season.

What are Jaydev Unadkat’s career IPL bowling figures?

In 116 IPL matches, Unadkat has taken 114 wickets at an average of 30.74 and an economy rate of 8.94. His best bowling figures are 5 for 25, and he has two five-wicket hauls in the league.

What is Jaydev Unadkat’s most famous IPL performance?

His most famous performance was the last-over hat-trick for Rising Pune Supergiant against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017. Defending 13 runs in the final over, he bowled a wicket-maiden, dismissing Bipul Sharma, Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to win the match by 12 runs.

Which IPL team does Jaydev Unadkat play for now?

He plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who signed him in 2024 for Rs 1.60 crore and retained him at Rs 1.00 crore for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, making it his third straight year with the franchise.

How many IPL teams has Jaydev Unadkat played for?

Eight: Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Rising Pune Supergiant, Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad.