Shardul Thakur completes redemption arc with POTM performance against SRH

‘Ab ki baar 300 paar’ has been the talk of the town surrounding this IPL season, as explosive batting has taken center-stage over the last few editions of the IPL. With 200+ scores becoming a norm, teams are pushing harder to defy the limits and put up unreal scores on the board in this limited-over tournament. And one team that has been at the forefront of this, has been the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The batting unit of this team consisting of hard-hitters Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Henrich Klassen and the recently added Ishan Kishan, has been haunting bowling units of multiple teams across the IPL.

Such was the case in the first match of this season for SRH, as they smashed a staggering 286 against Rajasthan Royals, registering one of the highest scores of the tournament till date and getting closer to breaking the barrier of 300 runs. In their second match against the Lucknow Super Giants, people were expecting a similar outing for the Sunrisers. But the most unexpected of figures spoiled the party for Pat Cummin’s team, and it was none other than Lord Shardul Thakur.

​Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur went unsold during the IPL 2025 auction, a surprising outcome given his previous acquisition for ₹10.75 crore by Delhi Capitals in 2022. Following the auction, Thakur had committed to playing for Essex in the County Championship. However, an opportunity arose when the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) faced the injury of pacer Mohsin Khan. LSG signed Thakur as Khan’s replacement for ₹2 crore, marking Thakur’s sixth IPL franchise since his debut in 2015.

​In the IPL 2025 season opener against the Delhi Capitals, Shardul Thakur made an immediate impact for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He delivered early breakthroughs by taking two wickets in an over, dismissing key batsmen and putting LSG in a strong position.  His recent performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he took key wickets, has been met with lots of enthusiasm from fans as Shardul Thakur delivered a pivotal performance for LSG.

Opening the bowling, Thakur struck twice in consecutive deliveries during his second over, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for 6 runs and Ishan Kishan for a golden duck. These early breakthroughs left SRH at 15/2 in 2.2 overs. Thakur finished his spell with figures of 4-34 (4), his best bowling figures till date in the IPL. He even reached the 100-wicket mark and was instrumental in guiding LSG to their first win of the 2025 IPL season.

From being unsold in the mega auction to being the current purple cap holder with 6 wickets in 2 matches, and picking up the Player of the Match award in the last match, Shardul Thakur has silenced all the critics and proven his worth.

By: Adit Waikul