Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur Biography: He is an Indian cricketer who represents India. Thakur was born October 16, 1991, and will be 34 years old in 2025.His Full Name Shardul Narendra Thakur and bowls right-arm medium-fast and bats right-handed.

Shardul Thakur’s Domestic Career

Shardul’s town was 87 kilometers from Mumbai, and he had to take an early morning Mumbai-Local train (which was renowned for being overcrowded) to get here for practice. He drew everyone’s attention when he hit six sixes in six balls in school cricket.

In November 2012, he made his domestic cricket debut against Rajasthan. He did not make a memorable start, taking only four wickets at an average of 82.0 in his first four outings. At the end of the season, the Mumbai team management ordered him to reduce some weight, and because he was hardworking and dedicated to his vocation, he returned fitter. In the following season, he took 27 wickets at 26.25.

He was a dominant player in the 2014–15 Ranji season, finishing in a joint-top spot with 48 wickets at an average of 20.81 in 10 games. The same season, he also recorded five five-wicket hauls.

He was selected for the India A team to face Australia A and South Africa A in four-day matches as a result of his outstanding performance. Later that year, he was included in the Board President’s XI team to play South Africa in a practice match, where he took four wickets.

He maintained his incredible play in the Ranji Trophy season of 2015–16. He took eight wickets to lead Mumbai to victory in the competition final. In the 2023–24 Ranji Trophy semi-finals, Shardul Thakur scored his first first-class century (109 runs) and claimed four wickets, earning him the Player of the Match title.

His team (Mumbai) was in serious difficulty after losing six wickets for just 111 runs in the competition final when he stepped up and produced a scorching 75 runs in just 69 balls. As Mumbai went on to win their 42nd Ranji title, it was a memorable innings.

IPL Career of Shardul Thakur

Due to his impressive domestic results, Kings XI Punjab purchased Thakur at the 2014 IPL auction for a base price of Rs 20 lakhs. The fearless medium-pace bowler claimed one wicket in his allotted four overs during his 2015 season debut against the Delhi Daredevils.

Following the suspension of CSK and RR and the subsequent mega-auction, Thakur was acquired by the Rising Pune Supergiants and played for them under the captaincy of Steven Smith and MS Dhoni. After being purchased at auction by the Chennai Super Kings in January 2018, he continued to play under MS Dhoni.

Thakur didn’t play much for the Chennai Super Kings in the 2019 Indian Premier League. Even so, he faced the Mumbai Indians in the Final and claimed two wickets. However, after Thakur was out LBW with two runs remaining on the final delivery, Chennai was unable to win the 2019 IPL championship.

Shardul has outstanding form in the 2021 Indian Premier League. In addition to being the top wicket-taker for CSK in this IPL season, he claimed 21 wickets throughout the competition. His outstanding bowling performance enabled CSK to win their fourth IPL championship.

Before the 2022 IPL season, Thakur was acquired by the Delhi Capitals team for an incredible INR 10.75 crores. He took 15 wickets during the competition, which was a respectable performance.

Prior to the 2023 IPL season, Shardul was traded to the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was named Player of the Match after scoring his first IPL half-century (68 runs in just 29 balls) against RCB.

After CSK purchased Shardul’s services for INR 4 crores during the 2024 IPL auction, the player returned to the team.

Shardul Thakur’s International Career

Shardul Thakur has the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities at the international level following his outstanding performances in the domestic circuit and IPL. In Colombo, he played his first ODI match against Sri Lanka, while in Centurion, he played his first T20I match against South Africa. The Indian selectors gave him a chance in red-ball cricket as well because of his reliable and respectable performance in white-ball cricket. In Hyderabad, he played his first Test match against the West Indies.

Career of Shardul Thakur in One Day International

He was selected for the Indian team traveling to the West Indies due to his continuously outstanding first-class cricket performances, but he was unable to participate in any matches. On August 31, 2017, Shardul played his first One Day International (ODI) match against Sri Lanka Cricket. One of the key players on the Indian squad that won the Asia Cups in 2018 and 2023 was Thakur.

Shardul was also included in India’s 15-man 2023 ODI World Cup team. He was initially serving as his team’s bowling all-rounder at the beginning of the competition. To keep the squad lineup intact, Mohammed Shami was substituted for Hardik Pandya when he sustained an injury after a few games. To date, he has participated in 47 ODIs and claimed 65 wickets.

Shardul Thakur Test Career

With just 11 games played in his career, Thakur is a relative novice in the world of international Test cricket. Back in 2016, he was named in India’s squad for the West Indies tour, but he was never given the opportunity to play. He was then included in India’s Test team for the one-time match against Afghanistan in May 2018, but he was unable to crack the starting lineup this time either.

However, Thakur became the 294th player to represent Team India in Test matches when he made his debut against the West Indies a few months later in October 2018. Unfortunately, a groin issue in his right leg interrupted his debut after he had bowled just 10 deliveries.

After all of India’s key players suffered injuries, Shardul returned in January 2021 against Australia. When India lost its top six batsmen for just 186 runs in the second innings of the historic Gabba Test match, he produced a brilliant performance of 67 runs and stitched a partnership of 123 runs with Washington Sundar. Additionally, he claimed seven wickets during the test match, which ultimately aided Team India in winning both the match and the series.

He was included in India’s Test team for the 2021 England tour as a result of his outstanding performance against Australia. He grabbed four wickets in the opening game at Nottingham, but an injury kept him out of the next two test matches. At the Oval, he rejoined the Indian team and quickly reached a half-century in just 31 balls, which was the second-fastest among Test matches played in England. He took three wickets during the entire Test match and scored 60 runs in 72 balls in India’s second innings.

In January 2022, he recorded his best-ever numbers against South Africa at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium. In this Test match, he claimed his first five wickets with scores of 7/61 and 8/108. Shardul participated in his first-ever World Test Championship final in June 2023. In that Test match, he took two wickets in addition to scoring a half-century.

Due to the current Indian pace attack being completely stocked, Thakur has subsequently remained on the periphery of the Test squad. As of May 2024, he had already claimed 31 wickets in his Test career.

Career of Shardul Thakur in T20I

On February 21, 2018, Shardul Thakur made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for India against South Africa. He was chosen to participate in the 2018 Nidahas Trophy in March of that year. He won the Man of the Match award after turning the tide of a match against Sri Lanka with a career-best 4-27. At an average of 29.33, he finished with 6 wickets from 5 games.

Axar Patel was replaced by Shardul Thakur in the Indian team for the 2021 T20I World Cup in October 2021. India didn’t make it to the semi-finals of the competition, and he only played two games.

In his very brief T20I career, Shardul Thakur has participated in 25 games and claimed 33 wickets at an average of 23.39 (as of May 2024).

Shardul Thakur Family

Shardul was born on October 16, 1991, in the Maharashtra town of Palghar, and came from modest circumstances. Hansa Thakur is his mother’s name, while Narendra Thakur is his father.

In accordance with traditional Indian rituals and traditions, Thakur married his longtime fiancée “Mittali Parulkar” in February 2023.

Shardul Thakur’s Net Worth

Shardul Thakur’s estimated net worth as of 2025 is INR 50 crores, or around USD 6 million. The majority of his income came from home circuits, international and IPL competitions, brand sponsorships, and advertising campaigns.

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