IPL 2023: 5 franchises that might pick Shardul Thakur at auction

Shardul Thakur is one of the rare breeds of seam-bowling all-rounders in the Indian circuit. He is a wily bowler having a knack for providing regular breakthroughs and also possesses the ability to score vital runs for his side. The 31-year-old has proven his mettle in the Indian Premier League and also in the international arena. 

Shardul has bagged 82 wickets in 75 IPL games at an economy of 9.06 and scored 173 runs at a strike rate of 129.10. Coming to his contributions for India in the shortest format, he has picked 33 scalps in 25 games and smashed 69 runs at a strike rate of 181.57.

Shardul’s all-round prowess makes him one of the sought-after players in the IPL. It is quite evident from the fact that franchises went into a bidding war to sign him at the 2022 mega auction. It was eventually Delhi Capitals who grabbed him for INR 10.75 CR.

However, it has been reported that DC are planning to release the bowling all-rounder ahead of the 2023 IPL auction. If the speculations are to be considered, the Palghar-born will likely feature in the forthcoming auction. Let us look at the franchises that might look to add him to their arsenal.

Here are the five franchises that could pick Shardul Thakur at the auction:

5. Delhi Capitals

Shardul is an experienced campaigner in the T20 circuit having played 139 games in the shortest format. He has done a fantastic job in those outings bagging 162 wickets at an economy of 8.69 and also scoring 303 runs at a strike rate of 121.68.

Delhi Capitals roped the bowling all-rounder in to add depth to the side. Shardul was amongst the wickets and took 15 scalps in 14 games for his new franchise but conceded runs at an economy of 9.79. On the batting front, he fared well smashing 120 runs at a strike rate of 137.83. 

Shardul might not have done justice to his price tag but delivered a decent performance throughout the season. Also, he was the most experienced Indian seamer in their bowling set up. Thus, one can expect DC to try and pick the veteran cricketer at a price lower than his earlier sum.