IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders acquire Shardul Thakur from Delhi Capitals [Details]

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have acquired Shardul Thakur from Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

KKR signed Thakur from DC in an all-cash deal on Monday, reported ESPNCricinfo.

Thakur, who is currently in New Zealand as a part of India's One-Day International (ODI) squad, was bought by DC at IPL 2022 mega auction for INR 10.75 crore. With bowling all-rounders valued well by T20 teams, Thakur's former franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), along with Gujarat Titans (GT), and Punjab Kings (PBKS), also had attempted to sign him, but could not beat DC.

The 31-year-old Thakur finished IPL 2022 with 15 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 9.79 – which marked his poorest bowling performance since he became a regular face in the IPL in 2017. With the bat, Thakur scored 120 runs and a strike-rate of almost 138.

One of the major reasons behind DC going all-out for Thakur at IPL 2022 auction was the fact that the IPL was played solely in Mumbai, the all-rounder's hometown and the team he represents in domestic cricket. But with the 2023 IPL returning to its original home-and-away format, DC would have weighed Thakur's numbers at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, their own home ground in Delhi.

In six games he has played there in the IPL, Thakur has bagged only three wickets in 20 overs in which he has given away 209 runs at an economy rate of 10.95. But at Eden Gardens, KKR's home base, Thakur has played just two matches with a good record: he has two wickets in seven overs while giving away only 39 runs at an economy of 5.57.

Thakur, who made his IPL debut in 2015, has so far picked up 82 wickets in 75 matches with 4 for 36 being his best outing in an IPL game. He has claimed one four-wicket haul.

Meanwhile, KKR have the most active franchise before the trading window closes on Tuesday (Nov. 15), which is also the deadline the IPL has set for franchises to finalise their list of players they want to retain or release before the auction. The retention window is scheduled to close on Tuesday at 5pm IST.

Thakur is the third player whom KKR have acquired via trade, after getting the duo of Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz from GT in another all-cash deal.