In an amusing turn of events, former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin may have unintentionally confirmed one of the Indian Premier League's biggest pre-auction moves - Shardul Thakur's transfer from
Lucknow Super Giants to Mumbai Indians.
During an episode of his YouTube show Ash ki Baat, Ashwin casually mentioned that Thakur had already been traded to the Mumbai Indians, even before any official announcement was made. His remark quickly grabbed attention and went viral across social media platforms, with the video later being taken down from his channel.
Discussing the pre-auction trade activity, Ashwin said, "I don't see any releases happening from MI. Will they try to secure a replacement for Deepak Chahar, who is a bit injury-prone? They have secured Shardul Thakur on a trade from LSG. That is already done. "
The revelation came just hours before several reports surfaced confirming that Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants were indeed in advanced discussions for Thakur's transfer. According to Cricbuzz, Arjun Tendulkar could be moving in the opposite direction - either as part of a swap deal or through an independent cash transfer.
Thakur, who captains the Mumbai domestic team, joined Lucknow last season for his base price of ₹2 crore after going unsold at the 2025 IPL mega auction in Jeddah. The 33-year-old played 10 matches for the Super Giants, taking 13 wickets and contributing 18 runs with the bat.
If finalised, Thakur's return to Mumbai Indians will mark another major shuffle ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, further intensifying an already dramatic trading window that also involves speculation around a potential blockbuster Sanju Samson-Ravindra Jadeja swap between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.
