A promising junior player who played for Gujarat's age-group teams beginning at the U-16 level, Timil Patel toured England with India U-19 in 2002 alongside Suresh Raina and Irfan Pathan. By October that year, he had made his first-class debut at the age of 18 in the Irani Cup, playing for Rest of India against Railways. He played another 37 first-class matches for Gujarat as a batting allrounder who bowled occassional legspin, with his final appearance in December 2009.

Since migrating to Los Angeles in June 2010, his legspin has taken over as the focal point of his game. At 5'5'', Timil causes problems with his flight and consistent length. Though he only made his USA debut in 2012, his potency with the ball propelled him quickly up the records list and, in 2015, he became USA's all-time leading T20 wicket-taker.

As a confident player of spin who can occupy the crease for long periods, Timil has primarily been used in the middle order with the bat. However, he has also opened the batting on a few occasions. Timil has also served as a stand-in captain for USA with mixed success.
Peter Della Penna