R Ashwin, a former spinner for the Indian cricket team, unintentionally revealed that all-rounder Shardul Thakur was moved to the Mumbai Indians prior to the IPL 2026.
Before the IPL trade window deadline, a number of media sources stated that MI and Lucknow Super Giants were in negotiations over two players: Shardul and Arjun Tendulkar. According to Cricbuzz, the two teams would prefer to make separate agreements rather than a swap.
Ashwin disclosed that MI had finalized the Shardul trade agreement during a discussion on his YouTube channel.
“I don't see any releases happening from Mumbai; they won't release anyone. Their biggest concern would be finding a replacement for Deepak Chahar, who's a bit injury-prone. They've secured Shardul Thakur through a trade from LSG. That has happened; they will probably look for a spinner and will get one too,” said Ashwin in a now-deleted portion of a video on his YouTube channel, ‘Ash ki Baat.’
Shardul Thakur had gone unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction but found a place in the Lucknow team as a replacement player for injured Mohsin Khan. He did well in the first two games, taking six wickets in all, but failed to continue the momentum as he finished with 13 wickets in 10 matches.
On the other hand, Arjun Tendulkar, son of MI mentor Sachin Tendulkar, made his IPL debut in 2023 and has played five matches for the franchise. He was bought back by the MI team for INR 30 lakhs in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
