Mumbai Indians have bolstered their squad ahead of the IPL 2026 season by completing two trades, bringing home India all-rounder Shardul Thakur and acquiring West Indies batter Sherfane Rutherford. This marks the first time Thakur, a Mumbaikar and current Mumbai domestic captain, will officially play for his home franchise.
Shardul Thakur joins MI in an all-cash trade deal from the Lucknow Super Giants for his existing player fee of ₹2 crore. Thakur, a utility player known for his pace bowling and aggressive lower-order batting, was picked up by LSG last season as an injury replacement after going unsold in the main auction. He featured in 10 matches for LSG, taking 13 wickets at a high economy rate of 11.02.
The second major acquisition for MI is left-handed batter Sherfane Rutherford, who was traded from the Gujarat Titans for his existing fee of ₹2.6 crore. Rutherford, a 27-year-old West Indies international, had a successful outing with GT last season, scoring 291 runs in 13 matches at an impressive strike rate of 157.29. Rutherford is known for his power-hitting and was part of the MI squad in 2020, but, did not feature in the playing XI.
Thakur, who has represented six different IPL teams prior to this move, stressed the importance of competitive match time as he aims for a return to the national white-ball squad. "What is important for me is to keep playing matches and perform," he said recently, adding that he is "eyeing that spot" as a bowling all-rounder at number eight in India's ODI setup. His last international appearance in white-ball cricket was for India in October 2023.
With the trading window now active, MI has quickly moved to restructure its squad, bringing in two impactful all-rounders. Thakur's return provides a local core element, while Rutherford adds explosive power to the middle order. The deals signal the intentions of the Mumbai Indians to rebuild quickly ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, which remains the final major opportunity for franchises to finalize their rosters.
