With the auction coming closer and closer, the teams have started to make trades and bring the much-needed players to their teams. The Mumbai Indians have started IPL 2026 by adding two players through a Trade. One of them is Shardul Thakur from the Lucknow Super Giants, and the other one is Sherfane Rutherford from the Gujarat Titans.
The Mumbai Indians are joint record-winners of the Indian Premier League, as they have won it five times. Basically, the last time Mumbai won the Indian Premier League was in 2020, and since then, they have had failed seasons as per their standards. Last year, they just won one out of their first five matches, but later finished the tournament in third position.
Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 Trade: Shardul joins for 2 cr and Sherfane Rutherford for 2.6 cr
In the previous edition of the Indian Premier League, Shardul Thakur went unsold. It was Mohsin Khan’s injury that assured Shardul Thakur’s place in the Lucknow Super Giants team. He was basically a replacement. He did his job as he picked up 13 wickets for them in the season in the ten matches that he played. Mumbai Indians feel he is a perfect fit for them, and they brought him in an all-cash deal worth 2 crores.
Another player that will add to the Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 Trade deal is Sherfane Rutherford. He was picked up in last year’s auction by the Gujarat Titans for 2.6 crores. Rutherford played a total of 13 matches for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League 2025 edition. He just managed to score 291 runs for them. Mumbai Indians got him for 2.6 crores for the same price he was bought in the auction.
These two players will surely help the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League 2026. Sherfane Rutherford is a power hitter and can bat in the middle order. The place of Shardul Thakur in the first eleven will be difficult, as there is already Hardik Pandya, who will play. There are also rumours about Arjun Tendulkar, the son of Sachin Tendulkar to join the Lucknow Super Giants for the Indian Premier League 2026.