IPL 2025: Lucknow Super Giants Omit Key Player Shardul Thakur from Playing XI Against Gujarat Titans
In a surprising move, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have decided to drop all-rounder Shardul Thakur from their playing XI for their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match against the Gujarat Titans (GT). The game is set to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, May 22. This decision comes as a shock, given Thakur’s impressive performance in the ongoing season, where he has emerged as LSG’s second-highest wicket-taker.
Thakur has been a crucial player for LSG, bagging 13 wickets from ten matches at an average of 28.84 and an economy rate of 11.02. In his previous game against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), he came in as an impact substitute and picked up the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen, returning with figures of 1/39 from his four overs. However, despite his notable contributions, Thakur has not been given enough opportunities to bat, scoring only 18 runs from five innings.
The omission of Thakur from the playing XI has raised eyebrows, especially considering LSG’s poor season. The team has lost all of their last four games and has already been eliminated from the playoffs race. It is likely that the team is looking to give opportunities to other players who have been on the bench, in an effort to finish the season on a positive note.
The LSG playing XI for the match against GT includes Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (C & wk), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, and Will O’Rourke. The GT impact substitutes include Sai Sudharsan, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, and Dasun Shanaka.
As the IPL 2025 season nears its end, teams are looking to experiment with their lineups and give chances to younger players. The omission of Shardul Thakur from the LSG playing XI is a significant move, and it will be interesting to see how the team performs without one of their key players. Will this decision pay off, or will LSG continue to struggle? Only time will tell.
