- By Namrata Vijay
- Thu, 13 Nov 2025 08:10 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IPL 2026: Besides signing Shardul Thakur from LSG, the Mumbai-based franchise has bolstered its team by trading West Indies star all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford from GT ahead of the next season. Rutherford will be playing for MI at his base price of Rs 2.6 crore and has strengthened their middle order and bowling attack.
Rutherford has represented the West Indies in 44 T20Is and is the sixth-highest wicket-taker for them in this format, and had also stitched a 139-run partnership with Andre Russell against Australia. He has featured in 23 IPL matches, where he has played for teams like Delhi Capitals (2019), Royal Challengers Bangalore (2022), and Kolkata Knight Riders (2024).
He was part of MI way back in 2020, but didn't play in a single match. After playing in 23 IPL matches, he had scored 397 runs at a staggering average of 24.81 and at a strike rate of 137.37. He hasn't smashed a fifty till now, and his highest individual score was 46, in which he hit 25 fours and 26 sixes.
In IPL 2025, he had played in 13 matches, where he had scored 291 runs at an average of 32.33 and a strike rate of 157.30. He had hit 22 fours and 18 sixes.
At the same time, LSG's Shardul Thakur was traded to MI at his base price of Rs 2 crore. He was bought by LSG as an injury replacement this year, where he had played in 10 matches. Shardul, who is known for his clutch performances, has been an important player for all the teams that he has played for.
With Rutherford and Thakur in their team, MI will aim to strengthen both their batting and bowling departments, which will give coach Mark Boucher a clear idea for the next season.
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They have won five IPL titles till now and have become the second most successful team apart from CSK. But they haven't won the title since 2020. In IPL 2025, they were knocked out after Qualifier 2 as the Punjab Kings had beaten them by five wickets.