The son of former Tasmania all-rounder Peter Faulkner, James Faulkner is a right-hand middle-order batsman and a left-arm fast bowler. He captained the Tasmania Under-17 team, and in the same season was included in the state U-19s and the Tasmania Second XI. His impressive performance on the first-class front earned him a state rookie contract in 2007-08. Faulkner was also a part of the Australian U-19s for the 2008 World Cup held in Malaysia. He was roped in by Pune in the 2011 Indian T20 league as a replacement for the injured Angelo Mathews. However, in 2012, Faulkner was bought by the Punjab team for the fifth edition. A year later, the Rajasthan team purchased him in the auction held for the sixth season.

2013 was a year in which Faulkner took huge steps in becoming an established all-rounder. James Faulkner has a very good slower ball and his variations make him a good bowler in the end overs of the innings. All these qualities have made him a regular in the Australian ODI and T20 side and sooner or later he will be seen in the Test squad too. He was retained by the Rajasthan franchise for the seventh season which shows confidence the management has in him.

Faulkner showed what metal he was made up of in the tournament that mattered the most - The 2015 ICC World Cup. In a championship wherein he hardly got a chance to do much, Faulkner strut his stuff in the final, stopping New Zealand's recovery with some excellent death bowling, thereby earning the 'Man Of The Final' award.