Shardul Thakur Credits Zaheer Khan for Crucial LSG Spot in IPL 2025
Shardul Thakur performed well in IPL 2025, although he was not picked by any franchise in the mega auction. He was signed by Lucknow Super Giants after Mohsin Khan was injured. Shardul described Zaheer Khan's call as important in cementing his place. He took 4 wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad to restrict the team to 190 runs.
In IPL 2025, Shardul Thakur seems to be performing well so far. However, many were surprised by his name not being in the list of successful bids of the IPL mega auction. Despite having an excellent track record in the tournament, he was not picked by any franchise. However, Shardul was later signed by Lucknow Super Giants after Mohsin Khan was injured.
In the first two matches of IPL 2025, Shardul Thakur led the bowling attack of Lucknow. In the match against Delhi Capitals in Vizag, he bowled only 2 overs and took 2 wickets, although LSG could not win the match. He then put up a strong performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad and helped stop their batting line-up.
Shardul took 4 wickets in his four overs and restricted Hyderabad to 190 runs. He dismissed Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in consecutive balls in the third over to demolish SRH's top order.
He then picked up the wickets of Abhinav Manohar and Mohammed Shami in his later overs. Speaking to broadcasters after his match-winning spell, Shardul Thakur spoke about how Zaheer Khan's call played a key role in cementing his place in IPL 2025.
"It was a bad day at the auction. I was not picked by any franchise. But such things do happen in cricket. There were some enquiries about whether I could join a camp. LSG approached me first, so I had to prioritize them. Even after working closely with Zaheer Khan, he called me. I had to accept it. As I always say, skills are always there, talent is always there. But it's just about performance. You should be prepared to go through the bad days in cricket. "
On Thursday, Shardul also achieved the feat of taking 100 wickets in his IPL career, but he insisted that he does not focus on individual achievements.