Honestly, the 2025 IPL mega auction in Jeddah was a weird one. You've got guys like Rishabh Pant shattering records at ₹27 crore, and then you look at the "unsold" list and see Shardul Thakur. Yeah, Lord Shardul. The man with a knack for golden arms and hitting sixes when the top order collapses. It felt wrong.
For a guy who was pulling in over ₹10 crore just a couple of seasons ago, seeing him go unpicked at his base price of ₹2 crore was a shocker. But that’s the IPL for you. It's brutal. One bad season, a slightly high economy rate, and suddenly the franchises treat you like yesterday's news.
But here is the thing: Shardul Thakur's IPL 2025 salary didn't stay at zero for long.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) eventually came knocking. They had a hole in their squad after Mohsin Khan went down with an injury, and Zaheer Khan—LSG’s mentor and a guy who knows a thing or two about seam bowling—made the call. Shardul ended up joining LSG as a replacement player for his base price of ₹2 crore.
The Rollercoaster of Shardul Thakur IPL 2025 Salary
It’s kinda wild to track Shardul’s market value over the years. We are talking about a player who has been a nomad, traveling from Punjab to Pune, then becoming a legend at CSK, moving to Delhi, KKR, and back to CSK again.
If you look at his paycheck history, 2025 represents a massive "reset" year.
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- 2022-2023: He was sitting pretty with a ₹10.75 crore contract.
- 2024: CSK brought him back for ₹4 crore.
- 2025: Unsold initially, then signed by LSG for ₹2 crore.
Basically, his salary dropped by about 80% from his peak in just two years. Why? Well, the 2024 season wasn't his best. He took only 5 wickets in 9 matches, and his economy rate was pushing 10. In a mega auction year, where teams are looking for long-term "core" players, those numbers are a red flag.
What LSG Actually Paid (The Fine Print)
When Shardul signed as an injury replacement, he didn't just get that ₹2 crore retainer. The IPL changed the rules for the 2025-2027 cycle. Now, every player gets a match fee of ₹7.5 lakh per game they appear in (including the Impact Player).
Shardul played 10 matches for LSG in 2025.
So, his actual earnings looked something like this:
Retainer Fee: ₹2,00,00,000
Match Fees: ₹75,00,000 (10 matches x 7.5 lakh)
Total 2025 Earnings: ₹2.75 crore
It’s a far cry from ten crores, but hey, it’s better than sitting at home watching on TV while you were supposed to be playing for Essex in the County Championship.
The Trade That Changed Everything for 2026
If you think the 2025 story ends there, you're wrong. Shardul did what Shardul does—he made himself useful. He picked up 10 wickets for LSG, including a massive 4-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad that basically reminded everyone why he's called "Lord."
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That performance was enough to catch the eye of his hometown team. In November 2025, just before the retention deadline for the 2026 season, Mumbai Indians (MI) pulled off an all-cash trade. They bought Shardul from LSG for his full ₹2 crore salary.
This move made history. Shardul Thakur is now the first player in IPL history to be involved in three all-cash trades.
- Kings XI Punjab to Rising Pune Supergiant (2017)
- Delhi Capitals to Kolkata Knight Riders (2023)
- Lucknow Super Giants to Mumbai Indians (2025/26)
It’s almost like he’s the league's favorite "plug-and-play" player. Teams love him when they need a specific hole filled, but they don't always want to commit the big bucks during the initial bidding war.
Why the Market Initially Cooled on Shardul
You have to be honest about the "all-rounder" tag. In the IPL, it's a blessing and a curse.
The Impact Player rule has kinda messed with the value of "bits-and-pieces" players. If a team can just sub in a specialist bowler or a specialist batter, the guy who does a bit of both for a high price becomes less attractive. Shardul’s bowling can be expensive. We've seen him go for 50 runs in four overs more than once.
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But then, he gets you that wicket. The one you didn't see coming. The set batter who chips it to mid-on. That "knack" is what Zaheer Khan saw, and it’s why MI eventually traded for him. They needed an experienced Indian seamer to support Bumrah, and Shardul fits that bill perfectly for ₹2 crore.
Shardul's IPL Salary Progression: A Quick Look
| Year | Team | Salary (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | Punjab Kings | 20 Lakh |
| 2017 | Rising Pune Supergiant | 10 Lakh (Trade) |
| 2018-21 | CSK | 2.6 Crore |
| 2022 | Delhi Capitals | 10.75 Crore |
| 2023 | KKR | 10.75 Crore (Trade) |
| 2024 | CSK | 4.0 Crore |
| 2025 | LSG | 2.0 Crore (Replacement) |
| 2026 | Mumbai Indians | 2.0 Crore (Trade) |
What's Next for the Lord?
The Shardul Thakur IPL 2025 salary saga is a perfect lesson in how fickle the T20 market is. He went from being a "must-have" multi-crore asset to a "wait-and-see" replacement player in the span of 24 months.
However, his move to Mumbai Indians for the 2026 season suggests his value is stabilizing. At ₹2 crore, he is a steal for a team that needs experience. He’s 34 now, so he’s entering that "senior statesman" phase of his career where he isn't the headline act, but he’s the guy who makes the headline act's job easier.
If you are tracking his career for fantasy cricket or just because you love the Palghar Express, keep an eye on his fitness. He missed out on a lot of cricket due to foot surgery recently, and his pace has dipped slightly. If he can keep that economy rate under 9.00 while playing for MI, he might just find himself getting a bump in the next mini-auction.
Actionable Insights for IPL Fans:
- Value over Price: Shardul’s 2025 season proves that "unsold" doesn't mean "finished." Watch the replacement pool (RAPP) during the first two weeks of the season; that's where the real drama happens.
- The Match Fee Factor: When calculating what your favorite player makes, don't just look at the auction price. The new ₹7.5 lakh match fee adds a massive incentive for players to stay fit and stay in the XI.
- Trading is the New Auction: With the mega auction behind us, the trade window is where teams like MI and KKR will do their most surgical work. Shardul is the king of this system.
Keep a close eye on the Mumbai Indians' social handles for training camp footage; seeing how Shardul integrates into the MI bowling attack alongside Bumrah will be the first real indicator of whether his ₹2 crore price tag stays a bargain or becomes a burden.