Often known as Lord, Shardul Thakur is a fast-bowling all-rounder who has become a cult hero for turning games, especially Test matches, on its head. With the ball, Lord Shardul showed his top prowess in Johannesburg, while he has played a few fighting knocks at the Gabba and the Oval.   

Thakur was inducted into the Indian squad for the Test tour of the West Indies. His greatest recognition came in Sri Lanka during his ODI debut.   

Shardul managed just 4 wickets in his debut season in the Ranji Trophy in 2012. He redeemed himself in the 2013/14 season, picking up 27 wickets in 6 games, and was in full flow in the third season since his debut, snaring 48 wickets, and was the joint-highest wicket-taker for the 2014/15 season.

Despite his heroics in the Ranji Trophy, he had to wait for a bigger moment to secure a place in the Indian cricket team. Playing against Saurashtra, he picked up 8 wickets in the game and led Mumbai to their 41st Ranji Trophy win. 

This set in motion his maiden selection to the Indian team when he was drafted into the side for the Caribbean tour in 2016. However, he did not get to feature in any game. He made his ODI debut on August 31, 2017, against Sri Lanka, scalping just one wicket, but his economical bowling impressed the selectors.

Ahead of the 2015 edition of the IPL, Shardul was signed by the Punjab Kings (formerly known as Kings XI Punjab) for INR 2 million but played just one match. In IPL 2016, now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant secured his services, and in his debut season for the newly added team, he picked up 12 wickets in 11 games. He became a lethal powerplay bowler, and his knack for picking key wickets impressed everyone.

Shardul became just the second cricketer to wear the Number 10 jersey, which sparked numerous controversies, after which the BCCI retired the number 10 jersey to give tribute to Sachin Tendulkar. After one year of his ODI debut, he took his career-best figures against Sri Lanka in March 2018, where he picked 4 important wickets for just 27 runs and earned the Man of the Match award.

In October 2018, Shardul’s Test debut against the West Indies was horrific as the youngster suffered a groin injury after bowling just 10 deliveries and had to be taken off the ground.

Not just his bowling, Thakur’s fierce batting lower down the order dazzled MS Dhoni, who included him in his future plans for CSK and bought him ahead of the 2018 IPL. Though his next two seasons were quite ordinary, he played in the 2019 IPL final against the Mumbai Indians, where he rattled two wickets. Shardul got LBW in the final delivery of the match when CSK needed two runs and lost the title.

Two years after his Test debut, Shardul was included in the playing XI in the fourth Test against Australia in Brisbane. He took one of the best bowling sides apart and scored his maiden Test fifty, proving to be more than a handy batter.

In the 2021 season, Thakur emerged as CSK's leading wicket-taker by claiming 21 wickets in 16 matches. His consistent performances were instrumental in CSK clinching the title that year. Notably, he finished joint third on the Purple Cap list.

The following year, Thakur, the Test cricketer, was phenomenal, especially against England, where his wonders at the Oval assured Team India bag a 2-1 lead in the series.

Shardul Thakur delivered a career-best performance, claiming 7 wickets for 61 runs in South Africa's first innings in the second Test of the 2021-22 tour at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. This remarkable feat not only underscored his prowess in overseas conditions but also marked the best bowling figures by an Indian bowler against South Africa in Test cricket.

Shardul Thakur transitioned from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to the Delhi Capitals (DC) after being acquired for INR 10.75 crore in the auction. Throughout the season, Thakur played a pivotal role for DC, showcasing his bowling prowess by claiming 15 wickets in 14 matches. His ability to deliver crucial breakthroughs at vital junctures underscored his value to the team.

Ahead of IPL 2023, Thakur was acquired by the Kolkata Knight Riders after being traded from the Delhi Capitals. In the 2024 season, Thakur returned to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after being acquired for INR 4 crore. In the following season, he was roped in by Lucknow Super Giants as a replacement player. 

His consistent performances across seasons underline his growing stature as a reliable all-rounder in domestic cricket. However, Thakur is fading away from the international scene with the inclusion of players like Nitish Kumar Reddy at the highest level. 

(As of August 2025)