A left-arm spinner who can swing his bat in the lower-middle order, Iqbal Abdulla showed promise when he scythed through Haryana with figures if 5 for 10 in his fifth T20 in 2007. He made his first-class debut for Mumbai in 2007-08 and then enhanced his reputation further when he finished as India Under-19s' leading wicket-taker at the World Cup in Malaysia in 2008. He capped the tournament with ten wickets at an average of 13.

Abdulla's finest season, however, came in 2010-11. After taking 27 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls at 22.11 apiece in the Ranji Trophy, Abdulla claimed 16 wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2011 IPL, securing the Under-23 player of the tournament award. Abdulla's impressive run helped take Knight Riders to the Eliminator, but his form tailed off in the following Ranji season, in which he managed only 13 wickets in six matches. He rediscovered his mojo in 2013-14, helping Mumbai sneak into the Ranji quarter-finals with two crucial thirties and 11 wickets against Gujarat in Valsad. He also guided Mumbai into the 2015-16 Ranji quarter-finals with a late cameo.

At the IPL, Abdulla played six seasons for Knight Riders, collecting 33 wickets at 25.48 before moving to Rajasthan Royals, for whom he played only one match in 2014. He was transferred to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2015 and was bought back by the same franchise at the 2016 player auction.
ESPNcricinfo staff