Unsold in auction, how a phone call from Zaheer Khan paved the way for Shardul Thakur’s return to IPL

A phone call from Zaheer Khan, asking him to prepare for a call-up, ushered a change in fortune for Shardul Thakur.On Thursday, the Mumbai all-rounder was rewarded with the purple cap after he became the Indian Premier League’s leading wicket-taker this season. Not too long ago, however, Thakur — in a quiet moment of introspection after he went unsold in the mega auction — wondered, “Am I that bad?”
In the weeks leading up to the auction, the Mumbai all-rounder requested a few franchise owners to consider him once. After all, he had played 95 matches for five franchises. He even texted an Indian teammate. At 33, Thakur was pushing hard for an India comeback, after he was snubbed for the Australia tour as the selectors chose Nitish Reddy ahead of him. IPL, he thought, would be a springboard to return to the national team.
Story continues below this ad

A day before the auction last November, where 366 Indian players had regered, Thakur got a ‘positive’ response from some of the franchise officials. They promised him he was on their ‘wish l’. But soon, there would be a reality check — none of the 10 franchises picked him in the two days of the auctions.
Thakur was disheartened but true to his nature, he didn’t dwell for too long. He looked at other opportunities — the English county team Essex offered him a contract. While signing for them, he inserted a clause that if an IPL team came calling, he’d choose that over county cricket.
Deep down, he knew that the IPL doors weren’t completely shut on him. “Fast bowlers tend to get injured. Who knows, I will be playing for any other franchise! One or the other team will take me, else I will fly to England and play county cricket,” he had told The Indian Express back then.
His belief came true. Mohsin Khan tore his ACL while playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last December and Lucknow Super Giants drafted him as an injury replacement. Thakur is currently the leading wicket-taker this season, with six scalps in two games at 8.83.Story continues below this ad
Shardul Thakur of Lucknow Super Giants celebrates the wicket of Jake Fraser-Mcgurk of Delhi Capitals. (Photo: Sportzpics for IPL)
It’s a remarkable turnaround. Zaheer, LSG’s mentor, gave Thakur a heads-up for a possible move during the Ranji Trophy knockouts. “I had signed up for County Cricket if I wasn’t picked for the IPL. But while playing Ranji knockouts, I got a call from Zaheer that they are looking at me as a potential replacement, so don’t switch yourself off. If we get you in as a replacement, we’ll need you to start. That was the day I got back in the IPL zone,” Thakur said after his four-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.
Before he signed for them, Thakur had to appear for bowling trials. He was flown down to Lucknow to join the team but it was subject to a fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. During this period, Thakur got a call from another franchise, asking him to join them for a much bigger salary.
The offer was too tempting to refuse. But Thakur, after consulting his friends, believed it would be ‘unethical’ to leave LSG, who approached him first; especially when no one wanted him. He is believed to have told a close friend, “Money is important but not at the cost of ethics.”
LSG signed Thakur from the Regered Available Player Pool at his reserve price of INR 2 crore. “It was a bad day when I wasn’t picked in the auction,” Thakur said. “Ups and downs keep happening in cricket.”