Shadab Jakati

Like his Goa team-mate Swapnil Asnodkar in 2008, Shadab Jakati used the IPL to get out of cricketing obscurity. In his first IPL tournament, Jakati, a left-arm orthodox spinner, got appreciable turn from the pitches in South Africa in 2009, and was crucial to Chennai Super Kings' surge in the middle stages of the tournament. He claimed four-fors in back-to-back games, a remarkable achievement in Twenty20s, to announce himself. He was also a key figure in Super Kings' winning campaign the following year, taking 13 wickets.

His Twenty20 awakening came after 10 years of first-class cricket, during which he managed 1000 runs and 100 wickets. Goa made the semi-finals of the Plate League in 2008-09 and Jakati was an important bits-and-pieces player, scoring 161 runs at 20.12 and taking 16 wickets at 31.81.

Given his overall modest record, Jakati was an inspired pick for Super Kings, and delivered in the opportunities he received. But Ravindra Jadeja's signing, coupled with the presence of R Ashwin somewhat stunted his progress after 2012. He was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014 for INR 20 lakhs, but played just one match. He went unsold in the 2015 player auction and came back into the IPL fold when Gujarat Lions acquired his services for INR 20 lakh. T20s aside, he has been a key member of Goa's squad across formats for more than decade now.
ESPNcricinfo Staff