NEW DELHI: Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made a surprising revelation about Shardul Thakur being traded from Lucknow Super Giants to Mumbai Indians on Wednesday. A day later, on Friday, his announcement came true, as Shardul became the first player to be traded ahead of the IPL 2026 retention window.

After Mumbai Indians sealed the deal for Shardul, the five-time IPL champions took to social media to share a three-second clip of Ashwin, in which he revealed that MI had secured Shardul from LSG.

“News confirmed by Ravichandran Romano last afternoon – Yes, we have secured the signing of Shardul Thakur from LSG!,” MI captioned the video.

Ashwin then showed his humorous side and responded to MI with a hilarious post, “Here we go. Fair play… Trading is subject to rumor risk. Upload all trade videos carefully!”

However, in what appeared to be an unintentional slip, Ashwin disclosed on his YouTube channel on Wednesday that the Lucknow Super Giants all-rounder had been traded to Mumbai Indians.

Ashwin said, "I don't see any releases happening from MI. Will they try to secure a replacement for Deepak Chahar, who's a bit injury-prone? They have secured Shardul Thakur on a trade from LSG. That is already done."

Known for his all-round contributions and ability to deliver in crucial moments, Shardul has now been traded to MI for his existing player fee of Rs 2 crore. Shardul, who surprisingly went unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction, managed 13 wickets and 18 runs in 10 matches last season.

He has played 105 IPL matches, scoring 325 runs and taking 107 wickets.

Last year, LSG used his services as a replacement player for the injured Mohsin Khan. He has played for multiple IPL teams including CSK, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.