All the talk heading into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 fixture between SunRisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants was whether the Pat Cummins-led side could breach the 300-run mark barrier in the contest. However, the visitors, Lucknow Super Giants, put in an impressive all-round performance to register the contest by five wickets. Shardul Thakur was the standout performer, as his bowling restricted the hosts to 190/9 in the 20 overs.

After LSG's five-wicket win, Shardul was adjudged the Player of the Match for his four-wicket haul, including Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan's wickets. At the post-match presentation, the pacer spoke about how the game is going more and more towards the batters, and bowlers have very little to play with.

Shardul, 33, also slammed the impact player rule, saying he is not a fan of teams constantly posting totals of more than 250 in the IPL. Since the rule was introduced, the scores have skyrocketed in the tournament. The 18th edition of the cash-rich league has already seen SunRisers Hyderabad register the second-highest team total in the tournament's history (286/6 against Rajasthan Royals).

"See, I feel bowlers got very little on these kinds of pitches and even in the last game pre-match, I said that pitches should be prepared in such a manner that the game hangs in the balance for batters and bowlers," Shardul said at the post-match presentation.

"Especially after the impact sub-rule coming in, it's not fair on bowlers to see scoreboards 250, 260 and 270 runs every time. That's my honest opinion," he added.

'Zaheer Khan made a call'

Shardul, who is currently representing LSG, was initially overlooked during the auction in Saudi Arabia. He had also entered into a county agreement with Essex to participate in seven County Championship matches during April and May. However, his situation shifted when he received a call from LSG's mentor, Zaheer Khan.

In the two matches played thus far by LSG, Shardul has emerged as the standout bowler, which explains why he currently holds the Purple Cap.

"I had my plans in place and had signed up for county cricket in case I wasn't selected for the IPL. However, while competing in the Ranji Trophy knockouts, Mr. Zaheer Khan reached out to me, indicating that they were considering me as a potential replacement. He advised me to stay prepared and keep my options open. If I were to step in as a replacement, I might get the opportunity to play. That moment reignited my IPL aspirations," Shardul explained.

"Nevertheless, I understand that this is cricket, and fluctuations are part of the game. It was just an unfortunate day at the auction when I went unsold. However, my cricket journey isn't over; I remain optimistic, and I possess the necessary talent and skills. It's essential to stay focused on the present and move forward from there," he added.

Shardul also discussed his strategy against the SunRisers Hyderabad openers, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, expressing his intent to seize opportunities against them.

"Certainly, there is some swing, and historically, Travis and Abhishek are known for capitalizing on their chances. I thought to myself, why not take my chances as well? They consistently score high totals whenever they play in Hyderabad, and most of those runs come from them or the top three batsmen," he noted.

"Additionally, Klaasen contributes some runs in the middle order, but the new ball presents a chance to take wickets if it swings early, and I aimed to capitalize on that tonight," he concluded.

Read Also: Kolkata Curator Backtracks After KKR's Eden Gardens Exit: 'No Official or Player Requested Pitch Change'

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