IPL 2025: Shardul Thakur breaks silence on going unsold in Mega Auction

Published - 13 Feb 2025, 06:37 PM | Updated - 13 Feb 2025, 11:40 PM

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Shardul Thakur has finally expressed his pain of being unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction. The Mumbai all-rounder has been doing well in domestic cricket, but that’s not enough for him to get a recall to India, and now he does not have an IPL deal as well.

Thakur made his IPL debut in 2015 with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and went on to play for different teams regularly till the last season. Apart from the Punjab team, the out-of-favor Indian all-rounder represented the now-defunct Rising Pune Super Giants, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Chennai Super Kings in the T20 league.

Shardul Thakur's struggles went against him at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction

However, Shardul Thakur spent most of his IPL career with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), playing for the five-time champions for four seasons and even winning the title with them. However, Chennai Super Kings didn’t retain the batting all-rounder, and he eventually went unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Notably, Shardul had been struggling to deliver in the past two seasons, and that’s the major reason behind his snub, and then the Impact Player rule makes the all-rounders less valuable. In the IPL 2024, Thakur could score only 21 runs and take just 5 wickets for CSK in 9 games.

In the previous season, the KKR gave Shardul the opportunity in the 11 games, but again the Mumbai all-rounder let them down with his poor performance. He managed to take only 7 wickets and scored 113 runs for the KKR in the IPL. He has 307 runs and 94 wickets to his name in a total of 95 IPL games.

'Yes, it hurts': Shardul Thakur on going unsold in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction

Now, Thakur admitted that he was hurt by the fact that nobody showed faith in him at the IPL 2025 mega auction despite his decade-long career and reputation for delivering in the big moments. He pointed out that every player faces highs and lows, but the quality of his game remains unchanged.

However, Thakur, who is currently playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, sent a clear message to the IPL teams that he isn’t letting this setback define him, as he is ready for the next opportunity that will come his way—one that he believes will be even bigger than before.

The 'Lord' Thakur ready for a strong comeback

Shardul Thakur was quoted as saying by Revsportz: “Yes, for the last 10 years, I have been a part of the IPL and have even won championships. In a player’s life, performances go up and down, but the quality remains. Even then, I told myself that it is okay that I did not get any chances in this IPL, but whenever an opportunity comes, it will be huge, and for that, I need to be ready.”

Notably, Shardul last played for India on the South Africa tour in December 2023. He represented India in 11 Tests, 47 ODIs, and 25 T20Is, taking 31, 65, and 33 wickets, respectively. The all-rounder also has over 700 runs in international cricket to his name.

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