Shardul Thakur made a remarkable comeback in the IPL 2025 season, striking twice in his very first over for Lucknow Super Giants against Delhi Capitals at the Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Monday.

After going unsold in the auction, Thakur joined LSG as a replacement for Mohsin Khan at his base price of INR 2 crore. He wasted no time in making an impact. In the opening over of Delhi’s chase, Thakur dismissed dangerous opener Jake Fraser-McGurk with a well-directed outswinger outside off. Fraser-McGurk sliced his shot while attempting to clear long-off, only to find Ayush Badoni, who took a comfortable catch.

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Thakur struck again two balls later, removing wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel. He bowled a fuller-length delivery, tempting Porel to loft the ball over the infield. Nicholas Pooran took a sharp catch at mid-off, putting Delhi under pressure early in the innings.

Thakur’s early breakthroughs helped LSG take control of the game. At the time of writing, DC is struggling at 50 for four after 5.3 overs.

Earlier, LSG posted a challenging total of 209 for eight. Nicholas Pooran led the charge with a blistering 75 off 30 balls. Mitchell Marsh smashed 72 off 36 deliveries. The pair added 87 runs for the second wicket. David Miller provided a late flourish with an unbeaten 27 off 19 balls.

Mitchell Starc was the pick of the bowlers for DC, taking three wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav claimed two. Thakur’s stunning return has put LSG in a commanding position.