From peeking into the Wankhede stadium through train doors to eventually standing inside the Mumbai Indians' dressing room, his journey is the perfect reflection of what MI stands for.

And as Mumbai Indians usher in a new season, bringing Shardul Thakur into the squad, it’s the perfect moment to look back at stories that define the franchise’s culture. Here’s the untold story of Shardul aka LORD THAKUR. 🔥

For this young pacer, the MI journey began in 2010 as a support player, long before any thoughts of an IPL contract. The early exposure to the dressing room, he says, shaped his entire career in a chat with Mumbai Indians. 

“I was lucky enough to experience the dressing room early in my days. I was already feeling comfortable in front of senior players. Somewhere down the line, whatever the way I was treated during Mumbai Indians camp also, that small gesture from the Mumbai Indians helped me a lot to grow in my career.”

Strong performances in the nets soon opened bigger doors.

“I was made to play practice games. I bowled with a new ball, so that boosted my morale and confidence to another level, and I was picking wickets.”

He credits Rahul Sanghvi and Paras Mhambrey for guiding him daily. The biggest moment was sharing space with legends.

“I was seeing Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu… and I’m sharing the same dressing room with them. It was surreal.”

His dreams, though, go back even further. To the days when he’d watch Wankhede from a passing train. “So whenever the train passed, we used to get up from our seats, come near the door, and try to sneak in and see who's practising. Even getting a glimpse of the great Sachin Tendulkar playing, we would have been happy”, he said.

Now with Shardul’s inclusion in the Mumbai Indians squad, he gets united with his chaos partner, THE ONE & ONLY SHANA - Rohit Sharma.

Pay your internet bills. More such content coming your way on MITV! 😂 pic.twitter.com/s87jAYQlhS

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) November 13, 2025

"Abhi aur pata chalega jab sath me baithenge toh. Kaafi masti hogi," said Shardul on his bond with Rohit. “He made me comfortable, he allowed me to be free with him, he allowed me to express myself. We became comfortable with each other and he played a major part in it”, he added.

From watching Wankhede come alive under the floodlights to now playing there as an MI player, his rise captures a story - the essence of MI, a place where hard work meets hope and dreams find direction.