Last updated on: March 24th, 2025
Shardul Thakur Biography – Once trolled for wearing the jersey number of the ‘god of cricket’ to being known as the ‘Lord’ himself!
Family Background of Shardul Thakur:
Shardul Thakur was born on the 16th of October in 1991 in Palghar, Maharashtra.
His father’s name is Narendra Thakur, and his mother’s name is Hansa Thakur.
He has an elder sister.
Education:
He did his schooling at Tarapur Vidya Mandir and Swami Vivekanand International School. He has completed his graduation from Khalsa College in 2012.
Early Life:
Thakur used to travel 90 km from his house in Palghar to Mumbai every day to practice cricket, the reason he is known as ‘Palghar Express’ in the local circles.
In 2006, he smashed six sixes in an over while playing for his school team, i.e., Swami Vivekanand School, in the Harris Shield Schools cricket tournament. He scored 160 runs off 73 balls in the match, which included ten sixes and 20 fours.
Subsequently, Shardul caught the eyes of Dinesh Lad, head coach of “SVIS,” who then decided to train him under his guidance. So he convinced Shardul’s parents to shift him to his home, and then he started enhancing his skills under Lad.
In an interview, Thakur said, “Lad sir played a huge role in developing my bowling. He made me focus on my line and length, and made me bowl in the same areas, one or two inches outside off stump, that helped a lot.”
In 2010, Shardul Thakur was dropped from Mumbai’s Under-19 team for being “overweight,” as he weighed around 83 kg at the time. Even Sachin Tendulkar advised him to lose weight if he was serious about his cricket career.
His first Ranji season didn’t go well, but he turned things around in the next one after shedding nearly 13 kg. The transformation not only improved his fitness but also helped him make a strong comeback on the field.
Shardul’s Wife, Height, Age & Bio:
| Shardul’s Profile: | |
|---|---|
| Personal Life: | |
| Full Name | Shardul Narendra Thakur |
| Nickname | Not known |
| Date of Birth | October 16, 1991 |
| Age | 33 years 5 months (in March, 2025) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Zodiac/Sun Sign | Libra |
| Birth Place | Palghar, Maharashtra, India |
| School | Tarapur Vidya Mandir, Maharashtra. Swami Vivekanand International School |
| College | Khalsa College, Mumbai |
| Physical Stats: | |
| Height (approx) | 5ft. 9” (1.75 m) (175 cm) |
| Weight (approx) | 66 kg (146 lbs) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Family & Relationships: | |
| Father | Narendra Thakur |
| Mother | Hansa Thakur |
| Siblings | 1 sister |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Mittali Parulkar |
| Career: | |
| Profession | Cricketer |
| Playing Role | Bowler |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm medium |
| Major Teams | India, Mumbai A, Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals |
| Test Debut | India vs West Indies at Hyderabad (October 12, 2018) |
| ODI Debut | Sri Lanka vs India at Colombo (August 31, 2017) |
| T20I Debut | South Africa vs India at Centurion (February 21, 2018) |
| First-Class Debut | Rajasthan vs Mumbai at Jaipur (November 9, 2012) |
| List-A Debut | Baroda vs Mumbai at Rajkot (February 27, 2014) |
| T-20 Debut | Baroda vs Mumbai at Pune (March 24, 2015) |
Shardul Thakur Partner:
Shardul Thakur tied the knot with his longtime partner, Mittali Parulkar, on February 27, 2023. Their wedding followed traditional Marathi customs and was attended by well-known cricketers like Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Mittali started her professional journey as an intern at JSW, a large company based in Mumbai. She later worked as a company secretary at Blue Star Diamonds and Chetak Enterprises Limited.
In 2020, she launched her own bakery brand, ‘All the Jazz – Luxury Bakers,’ which specializes in premium international desserts.
Shardul remains active in his cricket career, while his wife, Mittali, continues to manage her bakery business.
Shardul’s Cricket Career:
On the 9th of November, 2012, he made his First-Class debut for Mumbai versus Rajasthan in Ranji Trophy. He picked one wicket in the 23 overs he bowled in the match.
In the 2013-14 season of the Ranji Trophy, Shardul took 27 wickets at an economy of 3.80 in the six matches he played in the tournament. In the following season, he dismissed 48 wickets at an economy of 2.90 in 10 games. He was the joint-most wicket-taker of the season with R Vinay Kumar.
In the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy, he took 41 wickets in the tournament. Moreover, his 8/115 in the final match against Saurashtra led his team to win the season’s title.
On the 27th of February, 2014, he started his List-A cricket career against Baroda in Vijay Hazare Trophy at Rajkot. He took two wickets for 59 runs in his ten overs. Also, on the 24th of March, 2015, Thakur made his T20 debut against the same team in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at Pune, in which he managed to get one wicket.
International Career:
Thakur was named in the squad for 2016 India’s tours of West Indies but didn’t get to play in the series. Later, on August 31, 2017, he made his ODI debut against Srilanka in the 4th ODI of the series. He took one wicket for 26 runs in the match at an economy of 3.71.
On February 21, 2018, Shardul made his T20I debut opposite South Africa at Centurion, where he managed to get the wicket of Hendricks.
The same year, he made his Test debut opposite West Indies at Hyderabad. His Test debut lasted for just ten balls as he suffered from a groin injury and didn’t play in the remaining series. However, he made his comeback in Tests against Australia in 2021.
Shardul’s Jersey Controversy:
Shardul Thakur made his ODI debut in 2017 with the jersey number 10. As we all know, cricket is believed to be a religion in India, and Sachin Tendulkar, the god of cricket, used to wear the number 10 jersey.
So after seeing him with a jersey that read number 10, some people get so offended that they trolled him badly. However, he changed his jersey’s number to 56 after this controversy.
Later, he clarified that he chose that number for numerological reasons and did not signify as Tendulkar.
IPL Career:
Shardul Thakur played his first IPL for Kings XI Punjab in the 2015 season as they bought him for 2 million INR. He played just one game for them and later got released by them.
Then, Rising Pune Supergiants signed him for the 2017 IPL season. He took 12 wickets in the season at an economy of 8.25. Chennai Super Kings signed Shardul for the next season, and from then onwards, he played for CSK until 2021.
In the 2022 season, Shardul Thakur was acquired by the Delhi Capitals for ₹10.75 crore, where he played 14 matches and took 15 wickets at an average of 31.53.
The following year, in 2023, Thakur moved to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), maintaining the same price tag of ₹10.75 crore.
In 2024, Thakur returned to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the franchise with which he had earlier success, this time secured for ₹4 crore. However, the season proved challenging as he managed to take only 5 wickets in 9 matches, with a bowling average of 61.80.
Despite his previous contributions, Thakur found himself unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, with no franchises opting to bid for him at his base price of ₹2 crore.
However, on March 23, 2025, Thakur was announced as the replacement for the injured Mohsin Khan by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Facts about Shardul Thakur:
- He started off his cricket career as a spin bowler.
- After the jersey controversy, BCCI retired the number 10 jersey in respect of Sachin Tendulkar.
- While playing for Indian Board President XI against South Africa in 2015, he took four wickets, including Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla.
- However, Shardul belongs to Maharashtra, but he opted to play for Mumbai.
- His coach, Dinesh Lad, is also has been the coach of Rohit Sharma.
Frequently asked questions on Google:
Q1: Where is the hometown of Thakur?
Ans: Palghar, Maharashtra.
Q2: What is the age of Shardul?
Ans: 33 years 5 months (in March, 2025)
Q3: What is the jersey no. of Shardul?
Ans: 54
Q4: Is Shardul related to Anurag Thakur?
Ans: No, he isn’t.
Q5: What is the height of Shardul Thakur?
Ans: 5ft 9” (1.75 m or 175 cm)
Q6: Who is the wife of Shardul Thakur?
Ans: His wife’s name is Mittali Parulkar.
Social Media Accounts:
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