Allrounder Shardul Thakur remaining unsold was one of the biggest surprises of the IPL 2025 Auction. Thakur had set a base price of INR 2 crore for himself but unfortunately, did not find any takers among all the ten teams in the auction.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra was left heartbroken with Shardul remaining unsold and called it a big surprise. He even claimed that Thakur’s former team Chennai Super Kings tried to get back almost all of their former quicks but didn’t raise the paddle for him.
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Aakash Chopra was left heartbroken after Shardul Thakur went unsold
While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra called Thakur’s non-signing as a big surprise. The former India opener claimed that CSK went to get back all their fast bowlers but didn’t raise the bid for Thakur.
“Lord Thakur’s name didn’t come. Shardul Thakur’s name not coming was a big surprise for me. Cricketing or non-cricketing reasons, what can it be? His name came, not once but twice, but no one lifted the paddle. Chennai Super Kings went for everyone. They bid for all the fast bowlers who were with them,” Chopra said.
Thakur has played 95 IPL matches so far and picked up 94 wickets at an average of 30.52 and an economy rate of 9.23. He is also a useful batter lower down the order and can contribute important runs with his ability to score runs quickly.
Shardul Thakur’s numbers for CSK
Shardul Thakur has played for Chennai Super Kings for a no. of seasons. He was a part of CSK from 2018 to 2021. He was the leading wicket-taker for CSK in 2021 with 21 wickets in 16 matches and played a key role in CSK’s title win that season.
After a gap of two years, Thakur again joined CSK in IPL 2024. However, he didn’t have a great season this time around. He picked up just 5 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 61.80 and an economy rate of 9.75.
With the impact player rule in play, Thakur’s role with the bat has decreased. As a result, his overall performance has been affected.
Aakash Chopra on Shardul Thakur’s heroics in the Gabba Test
Recalling his great performances in international cricket, Aakash Chopra hailed Thakur for playing a stellar role in India’s win in Gabba in the previous Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“He neither went to them nor anyone else. The BGT (Border-Gavaskar Trophy) is being played at the moment and I remembered that he won us the Gabba match in the last BGT. After that, he earned ₹10 crore, but nobody found him worthy for even ₹2 crore. I was slightly heartbroken for Shardul Thakur,” he noted.
Thakur picked up 7 wickets in the Gabba Test played between Australia and India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 202-21. He even scored a crucial fifty in the first innings which helped India reach closer to Australia’s first innings total.
