IPL 2026: Rashid Khan to Mumbai Indians? Viral video sparks massive transfer buzz

An eye-catching sight was captured after the Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians (GT vs MI) match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. MI defeated GT by a huge margin in the away match. The 99-run win came with much-needed relief for the Hardik Pandya-led side.

After the match, players and officials of both teams were on the field to greet each other. Akash Ambani, the Mumbai Indians owner, was also there on the ground to meet with players. During this time, he was spotted along with Hardik Pandya and Gujarat Titans’ star Rashid Khan.

Rashid Khan’s appearance with MI fuels speculation

The owner of the MI and GT spinner, Rashid Khan, shared a heartfelt moment. A video, which displayed the moment, attracted cricket fans’ attention across social media platforms. Akash even hugged the Afghanistan spin wizard.

From the video, it seems that Akash Ambani was in a video call, and Rashid joined him. According to the caption of the video, “The beautiful bond between Akash Ambani and Rashid Khan. After the match, Akash Ambani and Rashid Khan were seen talking to someone on a video call.”

The video also sparked some speculations amid the ongoing Indian Premier League tournament. A part of the cricket fans have already speculated about a possible switch in the future. From the gesture of the MI owner, it is clear that he admired the spinner pretty much.

“Don’t be surprised if you see Rashid Khan playing for the Mumbai Indians in the next few years,” the caption of the video further reads.

Is a mid-season move possible under IPL rules?

As the incident occurred in the mid-way of the IPL 2026 season, fans are curious to know whether a switch is possible in the mid-phase of a season. Is a mid-season move possible under IPL rules? The answer is simple: Yes, a mid-season move is possible in the Indian Premier League. However, franchises will have to obey some protocols to utilize the rule properly.

In March 2020, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), on their official website, describes the rule thoroughly, that is:

The Mechanism of the in-loan system

The franchises will be allowed to sign a player from other franchises at the halfway mark of the season.
The player should not have played more than two matches till the halfway mark to be eligible for the transfer.
The transfer rule will come into effect once all the teams have played 7 matches each.

As of now, apart from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), 9 other teams in the league have played 6 matches each. A mid-season transfer is possible once all of the teams in the league have played 7 matches each. Another interesting part of the rule, the player, who wants to make a switch, should not have played more than two matches till the halfway mark.

Under these two criteria, the Gujarat Titans spinner, Rashid Khan, will not be able to leave the franchise. So far, the 27-year-old has played 6 matches for GT and taken 6 wickets for an economy rate of 7.70. So, as per the guidelines, he will not be able to join another team in this season, at least.