The bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur has joined the Mumbai Indians after being traded from Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL 2026 season.

He has been signed for his base price of INR 2 crore ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Joining LSG as a replacement for Mohsin Khan, the veteran featured in 10 games, claiming 13 wickets, at an economy of 11.02.

Lucknow Super Giants are currently looking for a premier all-rounder, and to free some budget, Thakur was allowed to sign for Mumbai.

“Lucknow Super Giants all-rounder, Shardul Thakur, is all set to represent the Mumbai Indians, following a trade between the two franchises. The Mumbai-based all-rounder was picked up by the Lucknow Super Giants for INR 2 crore as an injury replacement for the 18th edition of the league, wherein he featured in 10 games,” added Shardul Thakur.

“Shardul has been a utility player for the franchises he has represented, putting in clutch performances time and again. The all-rounder has been traded to the Mumbai Indians for his existing player fee of INR 2 crore,” said an IPL statement.

Playing 10 games for LSG, he picked 13 wickets at an economy of 11.02. Over the years, he has played six times, having represented Punjab Kings, Rising Pune Supergiants, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants.

Shardul Thakur has been out of white-ball cricket since October 2023, when he featured in an ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh in Pune. His last T20I match for India came in February 2022, against the West Indies at Eden Gardens.

He played two tests earlier this year in England, but was dropped for India’s subsequent red-ball assignments, against West Indies and South Africa.

Apart from this, Chennai and Rajasthan have been involved in talks for a deal that would trade Sanju Samson in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

With the deadline for the retention announcement near, it will be interesting to see who the players are set to be retained and released ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.