IPL 2025: How Call From Zaheer Khan Helped Shardul Thakur Switch Focus From County to Get Ready For LSG

Unsold at the mega auction and set on joining English County Cricket, Shardul Thakur recalls how a call from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Zaheer Khan prepared him to get back into the Indian Premier League (IPL) mindset.

With a base price of Rs 2 crore, Shardul didn't find any takers when his name popped up and eventually went unsold in last year's mega auction in Jeddah. After missing out on a IPL 2025 contract, Shardul started preparing for his stint with Essex in the County Championship.

But his plans changed when the Lucknow Super Giants approached him first as a possible injury replacement. Shardul joined the LSG camp and later singned as a replacement for the injured Mohsin Khan.

The seasoned all-rounder is now the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing IPL 2025, with six wickets in two games at an average of 8.83, and a similar economy rate. He collected the purple cap after returning with figures of 4/34 in LSG's five-wicket triumph over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The all-rounder, who was in great form in the domestic circuit, made a huge impact in LSG's first win of the season. He later revealed that other franchises approached him, but the first call came from LSG mentor Zaheer Khan.

"See, I feel all these things keep happening in the cricket. It was just one bad day in the auction, I didn't get picked by any of the franchises. But unfortunately, there were a few injuries here and there, and there were a few inquiries about whether I could join the camp," Thakur told the host broadcaster during the innings break.

"But LSG was the one who approached me first, so I had to give them preference, and even when I was closely working with Zaheer Khan, he gave me a call. And it was always on the cards, I had to accept it. And like I always say, skills are always there, talent is always there. It's just about the form and bad days, you have to go through it in cricket."

Shardul's heroics were recognised at the end, and he was adjudged the Player of the Match for his display with the ball. The 33-year-old revealed that he learned of his potential return to the IPL during the Ranji Trophy knockout phase.

"While we were playing Ranji Trophy knockouts, Zaheer Khan made a call, and he said we are looking at you as a potential replacement. So [he said] don't switch yourself off and keep your plans ready. Probably, if you come in as a replacement, you will start. That was the day I started to get into the IPL mindset again, and the hopes came back," he added.

After his recent inclusion in the IPL, Shardul will no longer be available for Essex and will stay with LSG until the end of their campaign. After sealing his career-best IPL figures against SRH, Shardul reached the 100-wicket milestone in the competition. As he savours the personal milestone, winning the game remains the most important thing for him.

"It's always good to be on the score sheet, but yeah, winning the game is important for me. I'll keep doing something or the other, that's my attitude. I don't much look at the wicket column or the runs column, but to create an impact in the game, to create match-winning performances, that's what I look at," he said.