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Shardul Thakur, fondly called ‘Lord Shardul’ by fans, delivered a match-winning performance for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2025 clash against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 27.
Despite being overlooked in the IPL mega auction last year, Thakur has proven to be LSG’s most impactful bowler in the two matches played so far.
Purple Cap holder – Lord Shardul Thakur
-Went unsold in IPL Auction
-Came in as replacement
-6 wickets in 2 matchesAdvertisement · Scroll to continueWhat a redemption 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/qw6XCIhtcH
— Riseup Pant (@riseup_pant17) March 27, 2025
Game-Changing Spell Against SRH
In a thrilling encounter against SRH, Shardul Thakur dismissed two key batters in back-to-back deliveries—Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan (who had scored a century in the previous match). His crucial breakthroughs forced SRH’s explosive batting lineup into a defensive stance.
Earlier, in LSG’s previous game against Delhi Capitals, Thakur had also picked up two wickets in the very first over of DC’s chase, sending Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abhishek Porel back to the pavilion. Despite his brilliant spell, LSG lost the match by a narrow margin of one wicket.
Thakur wrapped up the innings against SRH with impressive figures of 4/34, restricting them to 190/9 in 20 overs.
🚨 SHARDUL THAKUR HAS TAKEN 6 WICKETS IN 6 OVERS IN IPL 2025 🚨
– He was unsold in the Mega Auction. pic.twitter.com/fhCTC0TYrR
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 27, 2025
Shardul Thakur’s IPL Journey
Thakur joined LSG as a last-minute replacement for Mohsin Khan, who was ruled out due to injury. He was picked from the registered player pool at his base price of ₹2 crore ($233,402).
With 95 IPL appearances spanning five franchises, Thakur has been a key performer over the years. His IPL journey includes:
Punjab Kings (2015)
Rising Pune Supergiants (2017)
Chennai Super Kings (2018-2022, 2024)
Kolkata Knight Riders (2023)
Lucknow Super Giants (2025 – present)
Before IPL 2025, Thakur had already played 95 matches, taking 94 wickets with a career-best of 4/36 and an economy rate of 9.22. He has also contributed with the bat, scoring 307 runs at a strike rate of 137, with a top score of 68.
The Rise of ‘Lord Shardul’
Despite going unsold in the IPL 2024 mega auction, Thakur has made a roaring comeback, proving his worth as a match-winner. His ability to deliver under pressure and take crucial wickets at the right moments has once again established him as a key player in IPL 2025.
