Hat-Trick Heroics
Opening the bowling after Mumbai opted to field first, Thakur struck in the third over, dismissing:
- Anirudh B
- Sumit Kumar
- Jaskirat
He then removed Nishant Chakraborty on the fourth ball of the innings, finishing with 4/14 in his spell.
A Historic Feat
With this feat, Thakur became the fifth Mumbai bowler to claim a hat-trick in Ranji Trophy history and the second bowler to achieve a hat-trick in the 2024/25 season, after Himachal Pradesh’s Rishi Dhawan against Pondicherry.
Mumbai Bowlers with Ranji Trophy Hat-Tricks
- Jehangir Behramji Khot (Bombay vs Baroda, 1943/44)
- Umesh Narayan Kulkarni (Bombay vs Gujarat, 1963/64)
- Abdul Moosabhoy Ismail (Bombay vs Saurashtra, 1973/74)
- Royston Harold Dias (Mumbai vs Bihar, 2023/24)
- Shardul Thakur (Mumbai vs Meghalaya, 2024/25)
Mumbai's Playoff Hopes Hinge on Bonus-Point Victory
Mumbai is currently third in Group A, requiring a win by an innings or 10 wickets to secure a bonus point, which would level them with Jammu & Kashmir (29 points), while Baroda (27 points) remains in the mix.
The final playoff qualification scenario will depend on whether J&K or Baroda earns more than one point from their last-round match in Vadodara.
With Thakur’s match-winning performance and Mohit Avasthi’s two-wicket burst, Meghalaya collapsed to 29/6 in 12 overs, putting Mumbai in a strong position to secure a vital win.
