Jaydev Unadkat began it all. He was there at the end, too.
If his three wickets with the new ball ensured that Delhi Capitals would not set a target beyond Rajasthan Royals’ reach, later on in the night, he played the perfect foil to Chris Morris, whose lusty hitting swung the match decisively.
Interestingly, both of them have hit the headlines for the amount of money Royals bid on them. At last year’s auction, Morris became the most expensive player in IPL history when he was snapped up for ₹16.25 crore.
Back in 2018, Royals had spent ₹11.5 crore on Unadkat and ₹8.4 crore a year later; he has since been retained for ₹3 crore.
Justifying the faith
While Morris has been able to prove his worth in only his second match for Royals, Unadkat must be happy that he could justify the faith the management has had in him over the last four years.
“I knew it was about just one good game,” said the left-arm seamer. “I knew that my opportunity would come. I am happy to have contributed today.”
About the 46-run partnership for the unbroken eighth wicket — off just 23 balls — with Morris, he said they were trying to keep things simple and be calm towards the end.
“(Morris) couldn’t middle the first few balls,” he said. “I kept telling him it was just about one hit. We were confident that we were just a couple of balls away from getting this game in our pocket. It was amazing hitting by Morris.”