Jaydev Unadkat in SMAT (Source:@Cric_records45,x.com)
India fast bowler and Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat achieved a historic milestone on Sunday, November 30. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy clash against Delhi at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Unadkat became the highest wicket-taker in the history of the SMAT.
Jaydev Unadkat becomes highest wicket-taker in SMAT
The SRH bowler entered the contest tied with Siddarth Kaul at 120 wickets, but the dismissal of Nitish Rana in the first innings allowed him to move past Kaul and claim the record. The experienced left-arm seamer finished with 1/22 in his four overs.
Taking a look at his overall tally in the tournament, he has now 121 wickets in 83 matches, maintaining an economy rate of 6.79.
Kaul ended his SMAT career with 120 wickets from 87 matches at an economy rate of 7.02. Among the top five wicket-takers in the history of the tournament, Hyderabad pacer Chama Milind remains the only other active cricketer besides Jaydev Unadkat.
Most wickets in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT)
- 1 - Jaydev Unadkat: 121 wickets
- 2 - Siddharth Kaul: 120 wickets
- 3 - Piyush Chawla: 113 wickets
- 4 - Lukman Meriwala: 108 wickets
- 5 - Chama Milind: 107 wickets
Talking about the match, Delhi posted a massive 207/4, with the help of significant performances by Yash Dhull (47 runs of 30 balls), Nitish Rana’s commanding 76, Ayush Badoni’s quick-fire 33 of 25 balls, and late hitting from Anuj Rawat and Himmat Singh.
In response, Saurashtra fought hard with partnerships from Vishvaraj Jadeja–Harvik Desai and later Ruchit Ahir–Luckyraj Vaghela, but they ultimately fell short, finishing at 197/6 in 20 overs.
It can be said that Unadkat’s achievement comes at a crucial time, especially with the Indian Premier League (IPL) around the corner. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have retained the star pacer ahead of IPL 2026.
Across his IPL career, Unadkat has played 112 matches, taking 110 wickets at an economy of 8.87. In IPL 2025, also with SRH, he took 11 wickets in 7 matches at an economy rate of 7.34.
