"Really excited to join the team that has ruled the IPL over the years" - Jaydev Unadkat on playing for Mumbai Indians
Indian pacer Jaydev Unadkat is set to ply his trade for the Mumbai Indians in the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022).
The left-arm bowler expressed his excitement at joining hands with the most successful team in the league's history for the latest IPL season.
In a video shared by the Mumbai-based franchise, Unadkat spoke of how he was a little nervous during last month's mega-auction, as his name was last on the fast bowlers' list. However, he stated that he was delighted to be picked up by the five-time champions.
The 30-year-old added that he was looking forward to working with the likes of Shane Bond and Zaheer Khan. Furthermore, Unadkat also mentioned that he was relishing the opportunity to bowl alongside star pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the cash-rich league.
He said:
"I am really excited for this season...to join this team that has ruled the IPL over the years. When it started, it was nervy because my name was last in the fast bowler's lot. So, it was tricky, but I’m pretty happy that I was picked by the Mumbai Indians.
"I am looking forward to working with Bondy (Shane Bond) and obviously, Zak Bhai (Zaheer Khan), who has been an inspiration since the start of my career. Obviously, bowling with Boom (Jasprit Bumrah) out there in the middle will be something that I'll really look forward to."
Unadkat was released by the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. Mumbai won a bidding war against Chennai Super Kings to recruit the talented bowler for ₹75 lakh.
The Rohit Sharma-led side are scheduled to take on the Delhi Capitals in their opening contest of the season at the Brabourne-CCI Stadium in Mumbai on March 27.
Mumbai Indians squad for IPL 2022
MI squad: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis, Basil Thampi, Murugan Ashwin, Jaydev Udadkat, Mayank Markande, N Tilak Varma, Sanjay Yadav, Jofra Archer, Daniel Sams, Tymal Mills, Tim David, Arshad Khan, Anmolpreet Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Fabian Allen, Aryan Juyal, Riley Meredith.