After consistent performances in the Ranji Trophy 2024/25, Shardul Thakur got his reward as Essex roped him in for the first seven games of the County Championship 2025.
Shardul Thakur reminded his skillsets to the selectors, who ignored him for the Australia tour, churning out all-round performances. He has scored 439 runs at an average of 39.90 and snared 34 wickets at 21.67 runs apiece this Ranji Trophy edition.
After consistent performances in the Ranji Trophy 2024/25, Shardul Thakur got his reward as Essex roped him in for the first seven games of the County Championship 2025. However, the County Championship will coincide with the next IPL edition, which starts on March 22.
The key reason behind Thakur’s acquisition by Essex was that he was unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, so he will be available to play all seven matches. However, IPL teams can still pick Thakur as a replacement player in case of any injury or unavailability.
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Thakur is an all-rounder with vast experience in the IPL for various sides, and the recent form might tempt the team owners to include him. Given the number of injury news coming in, his inclusion won’t be surprising in the coming days or midway through the tournament.
If Shardul Thakur joins any IPL team as a replacement player in IPL 2025, he won’t feature for Essex in the County Championship 2025. According to Wisden, an Essex spokesperson confirmed that Thakur can still join an IPL side as a replacement player.
The Impact Player rule has reduced the role of all-rounders in IPL, so Essex hope no team ropes him in the league. It will also benefit Thakur personally before a vital England tour.
If Thakur can keep performing like Ranji Trophy, his chances of selection will surge massively, even if the team has Nitish Kumar Reddy. This new team management has shown a liking towards having more utility players who can contribute to all departments.
Thakur has previously performed well in England and will be a quality addition, providing flexibility and more dimension to the unit. His ability to perform under pressure is another feature of his cricket, which has helped India numerous times before.
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