LSG likely to trade Shardul Thakur to Mumbai Indians in all-cash deal ahead of IPL 2026 auction

New Delhi [India], November 13 (ANI): India's all-rounder Shardul Thakur is poised to join the Mumbai Indians (MI) for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as the franchise has reached an in-principle agreement with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to acquire him through an all-cash trade deal. 

This move is expected to bolster MI's bowling lineup, particularly in light of Deepak Chahar's injury concerns. Thakur, who has represented six different teams in the IPL, brings valuable experience and versatility to the Mumbai Indians, ESPNcricinfo reported. 

Thakur, who had gone unsold at the 2025 mega auction and was to join Essex in the County Championship, was picked by LSG as a replacement for Mohsin Khan at his base price of Rs 2 crore, and he scalped six wickets in his first two matches in IPL 2025. Thakur, however, struggled after that, playing only ten games and taking 13 wickets with an economy rate of 11.02.

The auction for the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to be held in Abu Dhabi, with its governing council still working on finalising the deal and venue. As of now, the auction dates are December 15-16.

The 2025 IPL season was one of the ages as the man in number 18, Virat Kohli, ended his 18-year-long wait for an IPL trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), beating Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final by six runs at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. 

Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Sai Sudharsan emerged as the top run-getter, with 759 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.21, with a century and six fifties, and runs scored at a strike rate of 156.17.

Though GT could not make it to the final, they dominated the bowling charts too, with pacer Prasidh Krishna finishing at the top with 25 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 19.52 and best figures of 4/41. (ANI)