To be fair, it was extremely surprising to see Shardul Thakur go unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Despite being an Indian player who can offer many things across departments, there were no takers for Shardul, who even contributed massively in India’s triumph at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020/21. He played the iconic Gabba Test and was a major reason why India clinched that match. Despite all this, we remained unsold at the IPL auction in Jeddah. But now he has delivered a performance that must leave every IPL franchise gutted.
Shardul Thakur, the real pace-bowling “all-rounder”?
In Mumbai’s dominant performance against Nagaland in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), Shardul Thakur shone brightly both as captain and lower-order batter. Stepping in as captain for Shreyas Iyer, Shardul took charge and went helter-skelter. Mumbai, batting first, posted a mammoth total of 403/7 in their 50 overs. While Ayush Mahatre stole the show with an explosive 181 off 117 balls, Shardul’s blistering knock in the final overs was something else.
Coming in the lower order, Shardul unleashed a ferocious assault on the bowlers, smashing an unbeaten 73 off just 28 balls. His innings included 8 towering sixes and 2 fours, propelling Mumbai’s already imposing total to unreachable heights. His strike rate of 260.71 is something that we don’t associate with a 50-over game.
India needed Shardul Thakur’s “X-Factor” in BGT 24/25?
Team India currently is in dire straits. They did win the Perth Test but Australia have been a far better side from there on. They mauled India in the pink ball Test before rain and an unlikley 10th-wicket partnership saved India at the Gabba. In Melbourne, India went on to have a go at saving the Test again but they couldn’t.
India went with three all-rounders in Melbourne, with Nitish Kumar Reddy playing more like a batter. Team India bowled 122.4 overs in the first innings, out of which the two all-rounders bowled just 22. That’s not even 20%. What’s the use of playing an all-rounder when they aren’t good enough to deliver? That’s where Shardul Thakur would’ve come in handy. He has the X-factor that could and had previously created huge impacts. Think about his Gabba heroics, where Shardul’s fifty in the first innings took India from 189/6 to 309/6. He even took a three-fer in the first bowling innings.
It was shocking for the Mumbai-born to go unsold at the IPL 2025 auction. At 32 years old, he’s a seasoned player who has previously played for top IPL teams like Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals. Being left unsold in the auction was a massive blow.
