Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur and Caribbean batter Sherfane Rutherford have joined the Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2026 auctions. Thakur represented Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2025, while Rutherford was part of the Gujarat Titans setup.

Thakur went unsold during the IPL 2025 auctions but was later picked by LSG as an injury replacement for Mohsin Khan. The all-rounder has now been traded to Mumbai Indians for his existing player fee of ₹2 crore.

Notably, this is the third time that Thakur has been traded in the IPL. The first time was during IPL 2017 when Rising Pune Supergiant bought him from Kings XI Punjab, and then before the IPL 2023 auction, Kolkata Knight Riders purchased him from Delhi Capitals — both being all-cash deals.

The pacer picked six wickets in his first two matches of last year’s IPL, seemingly proving the faith shown by LSG. However, Thakur eventually couldn’t leave much of a mark in the season, finishing with only 13 wickets in 10 matches at an economy rate of 11.02.

Meanwhile, it’s a homecoming of sorts for Rutherford, who was part of the MI setup in 2020 but didn’t get a chance in the playing XI that season. Overall, it’s his fourth team after Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and GT. As for his performance, the batter played 13 matches for GT last season and scored 291 runs at a strike rate of 157.29 and an average of 32.22.

Arjun Tendulkar parts ways with MI:

Meanwhile, as per a report by ESPNcricinfo, MI and LSG have signed a separate deal under which Arjun Tendulkar has been traded. The pacer had been part of the MI setup since IPL 2021 and has reportedly been released by MI so that he could get more opportunities with the Lucknow-based franchise.

Tendulkar was first bought by MI in the 2021 auction at a price of ₹20 lakh and later made his debut in the 2023 edition. During the first season, he played 4 matches, taking 3 wickets with an economy rate of 9.36 and a strike rate of 19.67. In the IPL 2024 season, Tendulkar played just one match and couldn’t take a wicket with an economy rate of 9.43.