Star all-rounder Shardul Thakur from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has been officially traded to the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the IPL 2026 retention deadline, with the confirmation coming on Thursday, November 13. Initially going unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, Shardul was later signed by LSG as a replacement player before the season began at his base price of ₹2 crore.
For the upcoming season, the Mumbai-born cricketer will now represent his home franchise, MI, after the team acquired him in an all-cash trade deal worth ₹2 crore. To mark the move, Mumbai Indians shared a video of Shardul donning the MI jersey on their official Instagram handle, building excitement among fans ahead of IPL 2026.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQ_vQRKjGi9/?igsh=N3kyODF2dmI2ZzZ4
Last season, Shardul Thakur played 10 matches for LSG, taking 13 wickets at an average of 28.84and an economy of 11.02. Across his IPL career spanning 105 matches, Shardul has been part of several franchises, including Punjab Kings (PBKS), Rising Pune Supergiant, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Overall, he has taken 107 wickets in the tournament and contributed 325 runs, which includes a half-century, maintaining an impressive strike rate of 139.48.
Ex-India Cricketer Reveals Reason Behind MI’s Move For Shardul Thakur
A day before the announcement, former India batter Mohammad Kaif shared insights into why the Mumbai Indians (MI) were likely interested in trading for Shardul Thakur. Kaif noted that although the five-time IPL championsalready had a strong pace unit featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, and Hardik Pandya, the team lacked a reliable third or fourth pacer.
He suggested that Shardul could fill that gap, providing depth to the bowling attack. Additionally, Kaif pointed out that Thakur’s all-round abilities make him a valuable asset, as he can also serve as a flexible option in the batting lineup, capable of adapting to different match situations.
“Shardul can be your third or fourth bowler. He is not a new ball bowler. He cannot be your primary pacer. So that might be the only reason Mumbai are asking for him. They have Hardik, Bumrah, and Boult but they had an issue with the third and fourth seamer last year. They tried a few new players.”
“So if this deal is going through, it is only because Shardul can do well at Wankhede and he can score as well. He can do what Krunal used to do on that pitch. Maybe the plan is to get a third seamer and a floater batter,” he said on his YouTube channel.
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