Shardul Thakur’s redemption arc: From IPL reject to Purple Cap holder

Dubai: Life doesn’t always offer second chances. When Shardul Thakur went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, it seemed like his time had passed. But fate had other ideas. An injury to Mohsin Khan opened the door at Lucknow Super Giants, and Thakur stormed through it. Now, the former India all-rounder isn’t just making up the numbers — he’s leading the tournament in wickets, donning the Purple Cap in Season 18.

Thakur produced a match-winning display against a menacing Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up, exposing its weaknesses. He took four wickets, including the in-form Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan off successive balls, to put the hosts on the back foot. He was also instrumental in securing an early breakthrough against Delhi Capitals.

Recalling his journey, Thakur revealed how he had been preparing to play in the England County Championship before his fortunes changed during the Mumbai Ranji Trophy game.

“I had made my plans. I had signed for County Cricket if I wasn’t picked for the IPL. While playing Ranji, I got a call from Zaheer Khan that we are looking at you as a potential replacement, so don’t switch yourself off. If we get you, we’ll need you to start. That was the day I got back in the IPL zone,” said the 33-year-old.

“Ups and downs keep happening. That was a bad day when I wasn’t picked in the auction.”

Thakur backed himself against the aggressive duo of Abhishek and Travis Head. “We have seen that Head and Abhishek like to take their chances, so let me take my chances as well. I feel bowlers get very little on these kinds of pitches. Even before the last game, I said that pitches should be prepared in such a way that the contest is balanced between batters and bowlers. After the impact player rule, it’s not fair on the bowlers.”

Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara lauded Thakur for his surprise bouncer that caught Abhishek Sharma off guard, leading to his early dismissal — an effort that set the tone for Lucknow’s first win of IPL 2025.

Thakur had Abhishek caught at deep square leg off a short ball and finished with 4-34, his best IPL figures, as Hyderabad’s power-packed batting line-up was restricted to 190/9.

“One is, he is looking to swing the ball. With the new ball, he is getting that shape into the left-handers and trying to mix it up with yorkers. If you look at the previous deliveries that Abhishek or Travis Head faced, he was attempting yorkers — some ended up as low full-tosses — but as a batter, you start thinking, is it going to be a yorker or a back-of-a-length ball?

“And suddenly, he bowls a bumper, which can surprise a batter. You have a fraction of a second to execute your shot, and that’s why I think Abhishek was late on his shot,” Pujara said on ESPNCricinfo.

Former England batter Nick Knight also praised Thakur’s bowling intelligence. “I call it bowling craft. As batters, we faced a lot of bowlers. The best ones were those who had that craft — where you’re never quite sure what’s coming next.

“If Abhishek had been waiting for the short ball, it would have been out of the park. But because he wasn’t sure if it would be full or swinging, he was a bit late on it. That’s the difference between hitting it for six and getting caught. The bowling craft was spot on,” he added.

The win also brought some relief to skipper Rishabh Pant, who admitted post-match: “Definitely a big relief, but as a team, we talk about the process. We don’t want to get too high after winning or too low after losing — taking it one match at a time. It was a big concern, but as a team, we don’t want to focus on uncontrollables. Like my mentor said, focus on the controllables.”

From the disappointment of going unsold to donning the Purple Cap, his journey is a reminder that fortunes can change in an instant. If he keeps up this form, IPL 2025 may not just be his second chance—it could be his defining season.