Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has made a big statement ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, which is likely to take place next month.
Ashwin confirmed that five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have acquired Shardul Thakur in a trade from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Mumbai Indians recovered from a poor start to the 2025 season and reached the playoffs. They were eliminated in Qualifier 2 after a stellar performance from Shreyas Iyer. The five-time champions have not reached the IPL final in the last five seasons. They last won the tournament during the 2020 season.
Ahead of the mini-auction next month, all ten IPL franchises are set to submit their lists of retained and released players by the November 15 deadline.
MI secure Shardul Thakur from LSG – Ravichandran Ashwin in trade
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that Mumbai Indians have already completed a trade deal to buy Shardul Thakur from Lucknow Super Giants.
Ashwin said that MI is unlikely to release any big players before the auction. He said his primary concern would be to find a suitable backup for the injury-ravaged Deepak Chahar and possibly add another spinner to strengthen the squad.
“We don’t see any release happening. They won’t even release. Their biggest factor will be whether they will find a replacement for Deepak Chahar, who is a little injured?”
(They won’t even release anyone. Their biggest factor will be whether they look for a replacement for Deepak Chahar, who is a bit injured?),” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
He said, “They have secured Shardul Thakur in trade from LSG. Woh to ho chuka hai. They will probably look for a spinner, woh bhi mil jaayenge. (That has already happened. They will probably look for a spinner; they will get that too).”
Ashwin accidentally reveals that Shardul Thakur has been traded to MI…
When you talk about team leaks Ashwin is always at the crime scene pic.twitter.com/feQA0bHG92
-Sumitattatt (@sumitattatt_0707) 12 November 2025
Mumbai Indians is ready to become the seventh IPL team of Shardul Thakur’s career.
Shardul Thakur is set to represent his home state franchise, Mumbai Indians in the upcoming IPL season. After going unsold in the previous auction, Thakur was signed by Lucknow Supergiants. He took 13 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 28.85 and an economy rate of 11.03.
Mumbai Indians will be the seventh IPL team of Thakur’s career after previous stints with Punjab Kings (PBKS), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
The all-rounder was recently appointed captain of the Mumbai home team in place of Ajinkya Rahane and has been in good form since the end of IPL 2025.
Shardul Thakur has taken more wickets at Wankhede than any other venue
Mumbai Indians can benefit from Shardul Thakur. The right-arm fast bowler has a good record at the Wankhede Stadium, where he has taken more wickets than any other IPL venue.
The experienced all-rounder has taken 16 wickets in 17 matches on the field at an average of 35.69 and an economy rate of 9.71. He has also scored 81 runs in 9 innings at a strike rate of 137.29.
Wankhede is one of only three venues, along with Dubai International Stadium and Pune’s MCA Stadium, where Thakur has taken more than 10 IPL wickets. His familiarity with the venue could improve his performance in the upcoming season.
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