Shardul Thakur has established himself as the spearhead of Mumbai’s attack. With the new ball, Thakur’s at-the-batsman method forms a neat counterpoint to Dhawal Kulkarni’s more metronomic style, and the two combined brilliantly to win Mumbai their 41st Ranji Trophy title in February 2016. Thakur picked up eight wickets in the final against Saurashtra, and his dismissal of Cheteshwar Pujara on the third day, the ball rearing up from a length to hit the shoulder of the bat, was perhaps the ball of the match.
Thakur hails from Palghar, a town 87 km north of Mumbai, and spent his early cricketing years lugging his kitbag on early-morning trains into the city. Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy in his debut season of 2012-13, but he did not play a major role in the triumph, picking up only four wickets in four matches at an average of 82.
Told to lose weight by his Mumbai team-mates, Thakur came back leaner and fitter the next season, and picked up 27 wickets at 26.25. The 2014-15 season was even better, Thakur finishing joint-top of the Ranji Trophy bowling charts with 48 wickets at 20.81. That earned him a call-up to the India A squad for four-day games against Australia A and South Africa A. Later that year, playing for the Board President’s XI, he bagged a four-wicket haul against the touring South Africans, his wickets including those of Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla.
Kings XI Punjab signed Thakur for INR 20 lakhs at the 2014 IPL player auction, but he only got to play one match in his first two seasons.
Shardul Thakur Biography
| Full name | Shardul Narendra Thakur |
| Nick Name | Shardul |
| Date of Birth/DOB/ age | Oct 16, 1991 (32 years) |
| Birth Place | Palghar, Maharashtra |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Libra |
| Profession | Indian Cricketer (Bowler) |
| Country | India |
| Cricket Role | Bowler |
| Father name | Narendra Thakur |
| Mother name | Not Known |
| Married | Married (27 February 2023) |
| Spouse or Girlfriend | Mittali Parulkar |
| Children | Not Known |
| Education Qualification | Not Known |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Current Residence | Palghar, Maharashtra, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling Style | Right arm Medium |
| International Debut | Test– 12 October 2018 vs West Indies at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium ODI– 31 August 2017 vs Sri Lanka at R.Premadasa Stadium T20– 21 February 2018 vs South Africa at SuperSport Park |
| Teams | India, Tata Sports Club, Mumbai A, Mumbai, Punjab Kings, West Zone, Rest of India, India A, Indian Board Presidents XI, India B, Mumbai Cricket Association XI, India Blue, Rising Pune Supergiant, Chennai Super Kings, Eagle Thane Strikers, Board Presidents XI, Indians, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders |
Shardul Thakur Physical Statistics
| Height | in centimeters- 175 cm in meters- 1.75 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 9” |
| Weight | 66 kg |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
Shardul Thakur Profile
Hailing from the small town of Palgarh, Maharashtra, Thakur was faced with the oft-mentioned and seldom-addressed problem of travelling nearly a hundred kilometres to Mumbai to pursue his cricketing dreams. From a stereotypical young boy from cricketing backwaters dragging his cricket kit to practice to the most sought-after pace bowler in the Mumbai domestic circuit, Thakur’s journey has been one of perseverance and hard work.
In his debut season for Mumbai, his team won the Ranji Trophy (hardly a surprise) but Shardul’s numbers were fairly underwhelming as he picked up just 4 wickets in as many matches. Nevertheless, Thakur, hardly possessing the build of an athlete at the time, worked on his fitness and honed his skills as he continued to improve in the domestic fold, taking 27 wickets in 6 games in his next season and peaked in the 2013/14 season, taking 48 wickets from 10 games which included an unparalleled five 5-wicket hauls.
Despite consistent performances, Shardul found it difficult to catch the eye of the national selectors owing to a large number of fast bowlers on the fringes of the national side. However, it was during the Ranji final of 2015/16 that the selectors finally took notice of him, having found what they were looking for – the stomach for a fight in a big match. On the biggest domestic stage in Indian cricket, Shardul took 8 wickets in the final. He breached one of the most impenetrable defences in the world (that of Cheteshwar Pujara) with an unplayable delivery to lead his side to their 41st Ranji Trophy victory.
After a long wait, his big moment came in 2016 when he was called up to be a part of the Indian Test squad for the tour of the Caribbean islands. He did not earn the coveted Test cap then, an honour that still eludes him. He did, however, officially become a fringe player and had the chance to bowl at some of the world’s best batsmen in the nets and has visibly improved as a bowler.
Thakur’s forte in the fast-bowling domain is a little different from what Mumbai, and by extension, India have been used to in their history. Thakur is a hit-the-deck bowler, getting extra bounce and occasional unpredictable seam movement which makes him practically unplayable at times. Over the years, he has also developed other skills, such as the outswinger, which he is extremely proficient at bowling. With the ability to maintain his seam positions while maintaining his pace, he poses a serious threat to batsmen the world over.
His bowling style might not be best suited for T20 cricket as proved by his not-so-glittery IPL career, but he is the kind of asset India would want in off-white attire shortly. Shardul’s career and his success is a testimony to the hard work he has done, and after an impressive start to his limited-overs international career, he certainly looks like a talent to watch out for in future. With his batting being resourceful, especially in power-hitting, India has tended to use Shardul purely to increase batting depth. This brings us to the point that he could become an all-rounder if he wants to. Realistically, it’s about being a more complete bowler with the batting as a bonus.
Shardul Thakur was traded from the Delhi Capitals by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2023. Although Kolkata Knight Riders have plenty of all-rounders, Thakur can bolster the bowling attack. In IPL 2022, Thakur played a few cameos for the Capitals and the Knight Riders will be expecting him to do the same.
Shardul Thakur Career Stats
Bowling
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 10 | 18 | 1335 | 779 | 30 | 7/61 | 8/108 | 25.96 | 3.50 | 44.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ODIs | 47 | 46 | 1940 | 2014 | 65 | 4/37 | 4/37 | 30.98 | 6.22 | 29.8 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| T20Is | 25 | 24 | 506 | 772 | 33 | 4/27 | 4/27 | 23.39 | 9.15 | 15.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| FC | 76 | 135 | 13155 | 6971 | 246 | 7/61 | 9/123 | 28.33 | 3.17 | 53.4 | 11 | 13 | 0 |
| List A | 111 | 110 | 4950 | 4760 | 170 | 4/19 | 4/19 | 28.00 | 5.76 | 29.1 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| T20s | 150 | 146 | 3003 | 4387 | 169 | 4/27 | 4/27 | 25.95 | 8.76 | 17.7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Batting & Fielding
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 10 | 16 | 1 | 305 | 67 | 20.33 | 481 | 63.40 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| ODIs | 47 | 25 | 6 | 329 | 50* | 17.31 | 313 | 105.11 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| T20Is | 25 | 6 | 3 | 69 | 22* | 23.00 | 38 | 181.57 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| FC | 76 | 104 | 7 | 1668 | 87 | 17.19 | 2611 | 63.88 | 0 | 11 | 213 | 33 | 23 | 0 |
| List A | 111 | 64 | 17 | 866 | 92 | 18.42 | 800 | 108.25 | 0 | 3 | 74 | 34 | 26 | 0 |
| T20s | 150 | 55 | 18 | 416 | 68 | 11.24 | 319 | 130.40 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 17 | 46 | 0 |
Shardul Thakur IPL Auction Price History
| Year | Price | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2.6 Cr | Chennai |
| 2019 | 2.6 Cr | Chennai |
| 2020 | 2.6 Cr | Chennai |
| 2021 | 2.6 Cr | Chennai |
| 2022 | 10.75 Cr | Delhi |
| 2023 | 10.75 Cr | Kolkata |
| 2024 | 4.00 Cr | Chennai |
Shardul Thakur’s Social Media Accounts
| Shardul Thakur (@shardul_thakur) | |
| imShard – Shardul Thakur | |
| Shardul Thakur | |
| Wikipedia | Shardul Thakur |
Some Lesser-Known Facts About Shardul Thakur
- Shardul was once a fat lad and weighed about 85 kgs, for which, he was suggested by the former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to get it cut to appear on Television playing the game for the country.
- He was selected to represent Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in 2013 but was widely criticised for his overweight physique.
- Thakur got training under none other than mercurial fast bowler Glenn McGrath which helped him refine skills even better.
- Kings XI Punjab signed him for INR 20 Lakh at the 2014 IPL auctions but didn’t play him till 2015.
- For the 2017 season of IPL, Rising Pune Supergiants acquired the fast bowler at the auctions.
- Shardul was picked by Chennai Super Kings in the 2024 IPL auction for Rs. 4 crore against the base price of Rs. 2 crore; the auction was held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on 19 December 2023.
