IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians trade in Sherfane Rutherford from Gujarat Titans

West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford is set to represent the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League 2026 season following a successful trade from the Gujarat Titans (GT). Acquired by GT for a fee of INR 2.6 crore, Rutherford will move to MI at his existing fee.

The 27-year-old has featured in 44 T20Is for the West Indies and holds the record for the highest sixth-wicket partnership in T20Is, having stitched together a 139-run stand with Andre Russell against Australia in Perth.

Rutherford has played 23 IPL matches so far, having earlier represented Delhi Capitals in 2019 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2022. He was part of the MI squad in 2020 and the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024, but did not feature in the playing XI during those seasons.

The 2025 season, though, came as a reckoning for the Guyanese cricketer, as he played almost all the league games for the Gujarat Titans that season. In 11 innings that he batted in 2025, Rutherford amassed 291 runs at an average of 32.33 and a strike-rate of 157.29 in a campaign where the bulk of GT's scoring was done by the top-order troika of Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Jos Buttler.

Rutherford is the second confirmed trade deal for the five-time champions ahead of the 2026 edition of the mega tournament. Earlier on Thursday, the franchise also confirmed buying all-rounder Shardul Thakur from Lucknow Super Giants. Like Rutherford, Shardul also joined the Mumbai-based side in an all-cash dealing for a price of INR 2 crore.

The trade window for the 2026 season will close on November 15 at 5.00 PM, following which the teams will make themselves busy in their preparations for the IPL auctions, which will be held on December 27. Since the event is going to be a mini-auction, teams have the option to retain a majority of their core squad to ensure a seamless transition into the next season.