Shardul Thakur has replaced Mohsin Khan at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The uncapped Thakur, who remained unsold during the IPL 2025 auction, has been a part of the LSG camp in Visakhapatnam as the team, under skipper Rishabh Pant, gears up for their season opener against Delhi Capitals (DC) on March 24.
As per an IPL release, Thakur has been acquired from the "registered available player pool" at his base price of INR 2 crore.
The all-rounder has played 95 IPL games for five franchises – Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC), Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings, PBKS), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Rising Pune Supergiants – picking up 67 wickets at an economy rate of 8.89.
It is known that Mohsin Khan, the Uttar Pradesh player in domestic cricket, tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his right knee on December 31 during action in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Mohsin did not travel with the team to Visakhapatnam, even after being part of the LSG camp in Lucknow recently. This is a setback for both the player and LSG as Mohsin had already recovered from a career-ending shoulder injury after IPL 2022 and played the whole season of 2024. He is rehabilitating now and will be assisted by LSG's support staff in his rehabilitation plan.
Thakur and Shivam Mavi have been training with LSG since the franchise's primary preparatory camp at Lucknow. The two fast bowlers, who have previously represented different IPL franchises, went unsold in the auction.
Thakur, who had a successful season domestically with Mumbai after foot surgery, had been contracted by Essex as an overseas player for county cricket. He had, however, told Essex of his willingness to be available for any IPL side in need of a replacement. Essex announced on Sunday that Thakur would no longer be reporting to them.
LSG has faced a series of setbacks, as none of their four first-choice Indian fast bowlers are currently fit. Along with Mohsin, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, and Akash Deep are all unavailable. These three fast bowlers are currently in rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Mayank is recuperating from a lower-back stress injury, Avesh is recovering from right knee niggles, thought to be workload-related, and Akash Deep is recuperating from a lower-back stress injury. There is no confirmed timeline for their return, although it is known that Avesh Khan could be back within a week, pending the success of the required fitness tests.
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