Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Unadkat scripted history at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on November 30 as he became the leading wicket-taker in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Unadkat dismissed Delhi captain Nitish Rana to achieve the feat, surpassing former India pacer Siddarth Kaul who claimed 120 wickets for Punjab.
From 87 games across 12 years, Kaul bagged 120 wickets from 87 games at an average of 18.25, featuring five four-fers and one fifer. Unadkat left him behind in his 83rd game, taking 121 wickets at an average of 17.81, featuring three four-fers. The left-arm pacer's SMAT economy rate is 6.79 runs per over.
Apart from Unadkat and Kaul, only four other bowlers have taken 100 or more wickets in SMAT. The third spot belongs to Piyush Chawla (113 wickets) followed by Lukman Meriwala (108 wickets), Chama Milind (107 wickets), and Akash Choudhary (102 wickets).
Unadkat conceded just 22 runs from his quota of four overs but Delhi posted 207/4 on the board. After Yash Dhull's 30-ball 47, Rana smashed seven sixes in his 41-ball 76.
Suyash strikes thrice, Saurashtra fall short of target
Saurashtra could not chase down the target and lost the match by 10 runs. Prerak Mankad scored 50 runs from 28 balls. Ruchir Ahir (21-ball 39) and Luckyraj Vaghela (7-ball 23) unbeaten cameos went in vain after leg-spinner Suyash Sharma's economical three-fer. Simarjeet Singh was most expensive of the lot conceding 67 runs from his quota of four overs.
This is Saurashtra's second defeat from three games in Elite Group D. Saurashtra will take on Ishan Kishan-led Jharkhand in their next game on December 2.
Unadkat retains a spot in SRH
More than a couple of weeks ago, Unadkat was retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction.
The 34-year-old claimed 11 wickets from seven games at an average of 15.90. While SRH had a forgettable season with the ball, Unadkat stood out. He conceded runs at 7.34 runs per over.