LSG's Shardul Thakur completes 100 IPL wickets

Shardul, also known as the 'Palghar Express,' achieved this milestone during the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Uppal Stadium, Hyderabad.

During the match, he delivered his best-ever IPL figures of 4/34 in four overs, getting big wickets of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Abhinav Manohar and Mohammed Shami.

Having played 97 matches in the IPL, during which he has played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) besides LSG, he has taken 100 wickets at an average of 29.22, with best figures of 4/34.

His best season was the 2021 title-winning season with CSK, taking 21 wickets at an average of 25.09, with best figures of 3/25.

Following the match, he was given the Player of the Match award, and he said during the post-match proceedings that after not being picked up in the IPL auction last year, he was planning to play county cricket.

"Zaheer Khan (team mentor) had called me when I was playing in the Ranji Trophy, and he told me that you may be called in as a potential replacement, so do not switch yourself off. If you are called in as a replacement, you are likely to start. Ups and downs are a part of life. I have always backed my skills. Some swing, and from what I have seen in the past, Head and Abhishek love to take their chances, so I thought I would take my chances as well. A new ball is a thing where you can take wickets when it is swinging, and I took my chances tonight. Bowlers get very little in these kinds of matches, even in the last game I said that pitches should be prepared in a way the game especially hangs in the balance. With the impact sub-rule coming in, it is unfair on the bowlers if a team scores 240-250 runs," he added.

Coming to the match, SRH was put to bat first by LSG, who had opted to bowl first. Shardul restricted LSG to 15/2, but a 61-run partnership between Travis Head (47 in 28 balls, with five fours and a six) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (32 in 28 balls, with two fours) stabilised the innings for a bit. Cameos did come from Heinrich Klaasen (26 in 17 balls, with two fours and a six), Aniket Varma (36 in 13 balls, with five sixes) and skipper Pat Cummins (18 in four balls, with three sixes), which pushed SRH to 190/9 in their 20 overs.

During the run-chase, LSG lost Aiden Markram early, but a 116-run stand between Nicholas Pooran (70 in 26 balls, with six fours and six sixes) and Mitchell Marsh (52 in 31 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and a fine cameo in the end from Abdul Samad (22* in eight balls, with two fours and two sixes) pushed LSG to a five-wicket win with 23 balls left. Pat (2/29) was the top bowler for SRH.

Shardul was named the 'Player of the Match' for his fiery spell. (ANI)