Shardul Thakur was not meant to spend the summer of 2025 crisscrossing India for franchise cricket. His plans involved the cool climes of Essex in South East England for his maiden County stint. However, a phone call from Zaheer Khan changed everything.
LSG found themselves in dire straits before the season even began. A slew of injuries had decimated their bowling unit: Mohsin Khan was ruled out for the season, Avesh Khan was doubtful, Akash Deep was rehabilitating, and their prized INR 11 Crore retention, Mayank Yadav, was sidelined with another injury. In desperate need of a proven pacer, LSG turned to an overlooked yet battle-hardened option—Shardul Thakur.
The Unfancied Savior
LSG’s decision to prioritize experience made perfect sense given their limited bowling resources. However, the most intriguing part was that Shardul was even available as a replacement. The impact player rule, renewed for the 2025 season, continued to sideline multi-faceted players like him. Once a coveted IPL asset, Shardul’s economy rate had inflated during stints with Delhi Capitals (2022) and KKR (2023). His return to CSK in 2024 didn’t pan out as hoped, leading to a cold shoulder at the mega auction in November.
“It was just one bad day in the auction. Like I always say, skills are always there, talent is always there. It’s just about the form and bad days; you have to go through it in cricket,” Shardul reflected in Hyderabad.
Resilience has been the hallmark of Shardul’s topsy-turvy career. Despite 83 international matches, his last appearance for India came in 2023. But for Mumbai, he remained indispensable, claiming 35 wickets in nine Ranji Trophy games. His IPL snub did little to deter him, and he proved his mettle once again when given an opportunity.
Making an Instant Impact
Against SRH, LSG entered with a depleted attack. The Sunrisers’ batters, who had recently torn through Rajasthan Royals’ bowling lineup, were expected to repeat their fireworks. But Shardul had other plans. He finished with figures of 4-34 and, in a crucial moment, became the first bowler of the season to concede fewer than six runs in an over against SRH—doing so in the high-pressure 19th over.
The game-changing over saw Shardul dismiss Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in quick succession. Sharma’s pull found the lone deep fielder protecting square leg, while Kishan edged a seemingly harmless leg-side delivery to the keeper. These dismissals sucked the momentum out of SRH’s innings.
“I think they [SRH batters] are coming hard at bowlers, so why not bowlers go hard at them?” Shardul explained. “The talk was around what the plan should be, and we collectively said, let’s go hard at them, let’s take our chances.”
Taking those chances paid off. A well-executed outside-off line and an off-cutter sent Abhinav Manohar and Mohammed Shami back to the dugout, keeping SRH under 200. LSG’s batters then made quick work of the chase, securing their first points of the season.
As celebrations erupted, owner Sanjeev Goenka embraced Rishabh Pant in a rare moment of IPL camaraderie, perhaps washing away the bitter memories of last season’s fiery confrontations. For Shardul Thakur, the night was a reminder that resilience and self-belief could turn fortunes around in the most unexpected ways.
