Watch: Mumbai Indians confirm Shardul Thakur's trade in special video ahead of IPL 2026

India’s premier pace bowling all-rounder, Shardul Thakur, is set to join the five-time champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Mumbai Indians, ahead of the 2026 season, as the franchise confirms the news in a special video on social media platforms. The reports claimed that Mumbai had an in-principle agreement with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to get Thakur via an all-cash trade deal. 

Both franchises have now agreed to the decision, as the franchises have shown their interest, which has completed the rest of the necessary process. Thakur has now become the first player of the IPL to get traded thrice. In 2017, the Rising Pune Supergiants brought him from the Punjab Kings before the Kolkata Knight Riders earned his services from the Delhi Capitals.

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Thakur, who went unsold in the 2025 mega auction, was picked by the Lucknow side as a replacement for Mohsin Khan at the base price of INR 2 crore. He took six wickets in the first couple of games of the 2025 season but struggled towards the end, finishing with 13 wickets in 10 games at an expensive economy rate of 11.02.

Watch: Mumbai Indians earn Shardul Thakur’s services; reportedly set to leave Arjun Tendulkar

This is a homecoming for the Mumbai-born, who was a support bowler for the Mumbai Indians in the 2010-12 season and has been appointed as the captain of the domestic cricket side in the ongoing edition. Thakur could bring a different balance to the eleven, thanks to his lower-order, powerful batting and the offer of giving 2-3 overs.

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In this process, Mumbai are expected to leave out the left-arm pacer, Arjun Tendulkar, who has been playing for MI since IPL 2023. He was brought by the franchise for INR 30 lakh last year and has now been traded to LSG.

Junior Tendulkar now can get a better chance in Lucknow. He was first bought by the franchise in the 2021 auction for a price of INR 20 lakh and made his debut in 2023. In the domestic circuit, he has already left Mumbai and continued to play for the Goa side.