IPL 2026: Shami likely to be traded to LSG; Thakur moves to MI

India’s star right-arm quick Mohammed Shami is highly likely to be traded to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after reaching an agreement with Sunrise’s Hyderabad. With the deadline for the franchises to submit the final list of players released from their 2025 squads, ending by 3 pm Saturday, the two franchises have agreed in principle on the trade, pending Shami's consent.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

The 35-year-old Shami is yet to regain his spot in the national side since his last appearance in the Champions Trophy final in March, and despite featuring in domestic tournaments for Bengal, he had expressed his disappointment after being overlooked for the home Test series against West Indies in October and the ongoing two-Test series against South Africa. He was not considered for the five-Test tour of England as well this summer, immediately after he had a poor IPL season.

In IPL 2025, Shami played only nine of SRH's 14 matches and took six wickets at an average of 56.16 with an economy rate of 11.23. He was roped in by the Hyderabad-based franchise during the IPL mega auction ahead of the 18th season, for Rs 10 crore. Given his struggles with fitness, rhythm and speeds, the SRH think-tank was in a fix whether to retain or release him until the offer from LSG came this week.