IPL 2022 mega auction: 3 teams who will be after Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur is certainly one of the players to watch out for in the IPL 2022 mega auction as the Indian seamer, or rather the bowling all-rounder has improved a lot in the last year or so. He started to impress in the Australian tour with both bat and ball and since then the curve has been going up for him significantly.

Thakur’s ability to provide breakthroughs when the team needs him the most is definitely one of his strengths. He had a phenomenal IPL 2021 as well. As he has also emerged as a handy batting option, he is likely to be brought in as a bowling all-rounder.

Here are 3 teams that might target Shardul Thakur in the mega auction.

Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings have been struggling over the years to find an all-rounder, who can bat and bowl and Thakur will definitely fall into the category. Punjab’s Indian contingent has been ordinary over the years and their auctions strategies might well include the bargain for Thakur in the mega auction. So far, they have retained Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh ahead of IPL 2022, and bringing in Thakur might provide them with the right balance.

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals have so far retained all batters including the likes of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal and the trio are expected to form the top three core of the batting. With so much to pick up in the middle order, the Royals will need an Indian seam bowling all-rounder, and Thakur will definitely suit them in the big boundaries of Jaipur. Thakur strengthens their Indian contingent and provides some reliability in the bowling department as well.

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians might consider bringing Shardul Thakur into their bowling line-up, as they have lacked the second Indian fast bowling option after Jasprit Bumrah at times. They have retained Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard and Bumrah, which means that they will not have the likes of Hardik Pandya or Krunal Pandya to fill in overs and be productive at the death. The local boy Thakur can bat at seven after Pollard and he knows the Mumbai conditions really well to fit into the side.