Ranji Trophy: Shardul Thakur hammers fiery fifty against Puducherry
What's the story
Shardul Thakur, a seasoned all-rounder, has made an instant impact in his first match after signing for the Mumbai Indians. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy match at the Wankhede Stadium, the Mumbai skipper put on a batting masterclass against Puducherry. He scored a quickfire half-century, helping Mumbai cross the 600-run mark, and put them in a strong position against their opponents. Here are his stats.
Performance
Thakur's batting prowess on display at Wankhede Stadium
Batting at number seven in the game, Thakur attacked from the outset as he completed his fifty off just 31 balls. As per cricket.com, Thakur smashed Puducherry pacer Sabhay Chadha for 32 runs off 16 balls. He also hit two fours and two sixes in the process. The all-rounder didn't hold back against Aman Khan either, scoring 16 runs off just four balls. He eventually got retired hurt after scoring 56 as Mumbai declared at 630/5 batting first.
Stats
18th FC fifty for Shardul
Thakur looked in sync and scored 56 off 32 balls. He smashed three fours and four sixes during his stay. This knock has taken him to 2,801 runs in First-Class cricket at an average close to 21, as per ESPNcricinfo. This was his 18th fifty across 102 games in the format (100s: 2). 377 of his runs have come in Tests at 18.85. Meanwhile, this was Shardul's maiden 50-plus score in the ongoing Ranji season.
Information
Thakur to play for MI
As mentioned, Thakur will play for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The five-time IPL champions had signed Thakur from Lucknow Super Giants in a cash trade deal worth ₹2 crore. The move came as a surprise as no team had picked the all-rounder during the IPL 2025 auction.