"He can be an asset for any team" - Social media reacts after KKR release Shardul Thakur ahead of IPL 2024 auction

Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur was one of the most prominent names released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the IPL 2024 auction on Sunday, November 26.

Thakur spent just one season with the two-time champions. He was purchased for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the auction ahead of the 2022 edition. However, he was later traded to KKR prior to this year's IPL.

He picked up just seven wickets from 11 innings in IPL 2023. Thakur's blistering 68-run knock with the bat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) was his most memorable outing of the season.

The 32-year-old will be up for grabs in the upcoming IPL 2024 mini-auction. Here's how fans reacted to Thakur being released by KKR:

Shardul Thakur has picked up 89 wickets from 86 matches at an economy rate of 9.16 during his time in the league. He averages 11.92 with the bat and has scored 286 runs at a strike rate of 140.20.

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KKR release Shardul Thakur and 11 other players ahead of IPL 2024 auction

Following an underwhelming season, the Kolkata-based side have made several key changes to their lineup. They have released a total of 12 players ahead of the upcoming mini-auction.

With this move, they have ensured that they enter the auction with ₹32.7 crore, one of the biggest purses among all franchises.

Nitish Rana was KKR's captain in IPL 2023, with regular skipper Shreyas Iyer ruled out due to injury. With six wins and eight losses, they failed to make it to the all-important playoffs, finishing seventh in the points table.

Players released by KKR: Shakib Al Hasan, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Johnson Charles, Litton Das, Aarya Desai, David Wiese, Narayan Jagadeesan, Mandeep Singh and Kulwant Khejroliya.

Players retained by KKR: Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Jason Roy, Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakaravarthy.