Shardul Thakur once again proved why he holds the ‘Lord’ tag after a three-wicket haul from the bowling all-rounder led to a milestone win for the Mumbai Indians. The right-arm medium pacer picked up the first three wickets against the Kolkata Knight Riders. His scalps proved to be decisive as KKR ended up with 220 in the first innings despite being on the charge for scoring in excess of 230.
Thakur, for a long time, has been fondly called Lord. Once again, as he proved to be the match-winning player for the five-time champions, he was being cheered by the home crowd with ‘Lord’ chants echoing at Wankhede Stadium. Reacting to these chants, Thakur claimed that he does not see these tags as memes but embraces them wholeheartedly.
Shardul Thakur: ‘It is love from the people’
Having been named the player of the match, Thakur reacted to the love shown by the fans. Making his debut for the Mumbai Indians, the 34-year-old bowled a match-winning spell in the first innings. The medium pacer not only claimed three wickets on what was a flat pitch at Wankhede, but also broke any crucial partnerships forming by KKR. Playing against his former team, it was Thakur’s spell that possibly prevented KKR from scoring in excess of 230.
When asked about the Lord memes flooding on social media platforms, Thakur said, “I like them because people give that name with love. So it’s not really a ‘meme’ meme. Just a way for people to show love.”
Homecoming for Shardul Thakur
Maharashtra-born Shardul Thakur has played for as many as seven franchises during his IPL career. He started his career in the Indian Premier League in 2015, where he played a solitary game for Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab formerly).
He played for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 before plying his trade for MI’s arch-rivals, Chennai Super Kings. At CSK, Thakur spent most of his prominent years and played 57 games across two stints in five seasons. He played for Delhi Capitals (2022) and KKR (2023) before being bought by Lucknow Supergiants in 2025 as a replacement player. He was traded from LSG to the Mumbai Indians ahead of the 19th season.
Reacting to his return to Mumbai, Thakur said, “This ground has given me bitter and sweet memories both. To come and play for MI is special. To come and play on my home ground. I was a net bowler and upcoming boy in the early years, quietly making my mark. Since then it was always going to happen, and it’s finally happened. So it feels special. I’ll be very happy if I stay here.”
Hardik Pandya’s special message for Thakur
MI skipper Hardik Pandya was all praise for all-rounder Shardul Thakur in the post-match presentation. Pandya seconded Thakur’s hope of staying at the Mumbai Indians for the rest of his career. The captain said, “I told him (Shardul), enough hopping franchises. You have to be here for the rest of your career. The way he outsmarts batters, the way he bowls, brilliant.”
