Accidental Leak? R Ashwin Might Have Revealed Major Mumbai Indians Trade

R Ashwin's revelation of Shardul Thakur's trade to Mumbai Indians highlights his match-winning utility, despite his inconsistent T20 performances.

Accidental Leak? R Ashwin Might Have Revealed Major Mumbai Indians Trade

R Ashwin made a big revelation about a finalized trade between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants. (via NDTV Sports)

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Ex-India spinner R Ashwin might have accidentally revealed a major trade deal involving Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, ahead of the IPL retention deadline. All teams have been notified of the November 15 deadline, to announce their list of retained and released players. 

While the potential Sanju Samson-Ravindra Jadeja trade between CSK and RR has been in the headlines for a while now, another significant, yet not so high-profile trade deal remains up on the cards. Lucknow Super Giants star Shardul Thakur is likely to join Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2026 IPL season, with the two sides having reportedly engaged in conversations over the future of the 34-year-old all-rounder.

Thakur is being pursued by the five-time IPL winners in an all-cash trade deal, and it is understood that the two franchises have sent letters of interest to the IPL. While the deal is still far away from completion, R Ashwin, on his YouTube show ‘Ash Ki Baat’, recently revealed the move has been finalized. The part of his video has been removed, but it unexpectedly confirmed that the two teams have negotiated a fee worth INR 2 crores, Thakur’s base price, to seal the trade deal.

I don’t see any releases happening from Mumbai [Indians], they won’t release anyone… They’ve secured Shardul Thakur through a trade from LSG. That has happened.

R Ashwin’s slipped while he was discussing MI’s plans for re-bolstering its pace attack. Shardul Thakur, as Ashwin pointed out, has been traded in as a replacement for injury-prone Deepak Chahar. Furthermore, rumors suggest that Thakur’s trade deal to MI also involves all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar, son of cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, who is set to be traded in to LSG in a separate deal, worth INR 30 lakhs. 

Thakur played as a net bowler for Mumbai Indians from 2010 to 2012, before making his IPL debut. The 34-year-old went unsold at the 2025 IPL mega-auction, but was roped in by LSG as an injury replacement for Mohsin Khan. He started the campaign on a high-note, picking up six wickets in his first two matches, before spiraling down to finish with a tally of just 13 wickets in ten matches.

Thakur has interestingly been a part of two trade deals in the past, from Punjab Kings to Rising Pune in 2017, and from Kolkata Knight Riders to Delhi Capitals in 2023. Meanwhile, Arjun Tendulkar has only played five matches for MI till now, picking up three wickets. 

R Ashwin tips CSK to bid for KKR star in 2026 IPL auction, if he is released

Former CSK icon R Ashwin, who played for the Men in Yellow in 2025 before announcing his retirement from the IPL, made a bold prediction about the franchise’s plans for the upcoming auction. He suggested that KKR star Venkatesh Iyer will be one of the players CSK will be seeking.

R. Ashwin on KKR player
R Ashwin suggested that CSK should buy KKR’s Venkatesh Iyer. (via NDTV Sports)

Venkatesh Iyer was KKR’s marquee player at the 2025 IPL auction, signed for a whopping INR 23.75 crore. However, he failed to deliver, scoring only 142 runs in 11 matches at an average of 20.29 and a strike-rate of 139.22, making him one of the season’s biggest underperformers. His poor display and KKR’s need to free up funds ahead of the 2026 IPL auction might force the franchise to release him.

While it is expected that KKR might re-sign the player at a lower fee, R Ashwin thinks otherwise. The 39-year-old suggested CSK sign Venkatesh Iyer to reinforce its batting unit, while highlighting his decent performances at Chepauk over the years. With the five-time IPL winners seemingly set to lose Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in a trade deal, Ashwin noted that Iyer would be a like-for-like replacement for the duo.

CSK can really strengthen this side… I see Nitish Rana coming into the auction. So, Rana and Venkatesh Iyer will hundred percent be on the radar of CSK.

Furthermore, the Test bowling legend exclaimed that Nitish Rana would also be on CSK’s radar, given his batting exploits against spin. He picked Iyer or Rana to come out and bat at number three for CSK in the IPL next season.

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