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Mumbai Indians make early IPL 2026 splash; land GT star after snapping up Shardul Thakur from LSG
Shardul Thakur is set to join Mumbai Indians, with the IPL franchise confirming his addition from LSG ahead of the retention deadline.
With the retention deadline ahead of the IPL 2026 season fast approaching, teams are trying to place some final pieces before the strategy for the auction in December begins. Mumbai Indians have confirmed the first move of what promises to be a busy trade window for the franchise, as the negotiations between themselves and Lucknow Super Giants are complete, allowing them to confirm the addition of Shardul Thakur to their unit.
Thakur moves over to the city he represents in domestic cricket, having joined LSG as a replacement player after originally being unsold at the IPL 2025 auction. A fast bowler with a decent batting ability, Shardul will be expected to play largely a back-up role to the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Deepak Chahar, but will have hopes of being a consistent starter.
In a video shared to their social media accounts, MI announced Shardul’s arrival with a post that depicted the player answering a phone call and saying “Shardul Thakur aala re (Shardul is coming).”
While the official confirmation of the player MI are trading away is still awaited, recent reports suggest it will be Arjun Tendulkar, son of Sachin, who will be going the other way to Lucknow.
Sherfane Rutherford joins MI from GT
MI completed another big trade as they added West Indian batter Sherfane Rutherford, who returns to MI having played for the franchise in the past. Rutherford had a good season for the Gujarat Titans, hitting 291 runs at a strong strike rate of 157. Rutherford will likely be expected to play a backup role to the overseas batting core including Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks.
Other trades expected in IPL before retention deadline
MI are expected to remain busy in the trade market, with more speculation suggesting they could look for extra spin bowling help. This would involve returning two one or both of their former leg-spinners in Mayank Markande or Rahul Chahar, with both players struggling to find game-time at KKR and SRH respectively the previous season.
The five-time champions aren’t the only team who are looking to make some key decisions before the retention window, as a high-profile between CSK and RR has been hinted at with Sanju Samson looking set to join the team in yellow and Ravindra Jadeja going the other way, reuniting with the team he earned his big break in.
Further speculation involves Mohammed Shami being on the radar for teams looking for fast-bowling help, with LSG sizing up their options as they look to fill Shardul’s shoes, while Delhi Capitals are also reportedly interested in seeing Shami return to the capital.
