What’s the story?
Fast bowler Shardul Thakur has been added to the Rising Pune Supergiant ahead of IPL 2017. The Mumbai-born pacer was roped in by the Pune franchise to bolster their domestic bowling arsenal, after not being part of the original list in the IPL auctions that took place last month in Bengaluru.
Also read: Shardul Thakur: 10 things you need to know about him
In case you didn’t know…
The 25-year old pacer, who has played just a solitary game in the IPL, (for the Kings XI Punjab in 2015) was part of the Indian Test squad during the tour of the West Indies last year, although he did not get to play a game.
The Pune franchise shelled a massive sum of money on Ben Stokes, the English all-rounder, buying him for Rs. 14.5 crore, leaving only Rs. 30 lakh out of their original quota of Rs.66 crore after the end of the auction.
The heart of the matter
Having established himself as the spearhead of the Mumbai bowling attack, Thakur is regarded as one of the most promising young fast bowlers in the country, with the ability to swing the ball away from right-handers with his smooth, classic action. He has been on the fringes of national selection for a while now, but haven’t had a memorable IPL experience, going for 38 runs in the three overs he has bowled in the tournament. He even vented out his frustration at his previous franchise on Twitter after being unceremoniously dumped from the squad midway through the 2015 season.
Now, with a changed team in place, coupled with the captaincy now on the shoulders of Steve Smith, Thakur seems to have found a new lease of life in his T20 career. Till now, he has played 18 matches in the shortest format, picking up 21 wickets at an economy of 7.81.
What’s next?
Currently part of the Mumbai team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the domestic 50-over tournament, Thakur will look forward to adding more caps to his one-match IPL career, with the first RPS match set to take place against Mumbai Indians on April 6 at Pune.
Sportskeeda’s Take
The Pune team already has the likes of Ashoke Dinda, Jayadev Unadkat and Ishwar Pandey, fast bowlers who have had decent IPL experience. Yet, with Thakur being in good nick lately, the acquisition might bode well for the Pune team. With no big international names, the fast bowling department lacks variety, and Thakur might end up being the missing piece in that puzzle.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
