Confirmed! Sherfane Rutherford departs Gujarat Titans; traded to Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2026

West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford will turn out for the Mumbai Indians in the upcoming IPL 2026 season after being traded from the Gujarat Titans. The move was confirmed by the league in an official statement on Thursday. Rutherford, who was acquired by Gujarat for Rs 2.6 crore ahead of the previous season, joins Mumbai at the same fee. The 27-year-old has played 44 T20Is for the West Indies and holds the record for the highest sixth-wicket partnership in the format from a 139-run stand with Andre Russell against Australia in Perth. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! In the IPL, Rutherford has featured in 23 matches across different franchises, including Delhi Capitals (2019) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2022). He has also been part of the Mumbai Indians setup in 2020 and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024, but did not make an appearance in either season. The trade comes as Gujarat Titans prepare for key changes to their middle order after a mixed 2025 campaign. Despite reaching the playoffs for the third time in four years, their batting lineup leaned heavily on the top three of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler. While all of them crossed 500 runs, the rest of the order struggled to find consistency. Former Chennai Super Kings batter Anirudha Srikkanth, speaking on Star Sports ahead of the retention deadline, said Gujarat still needed a solid option at No. 4. “An ideal fit for GT will be Venkatesh Iyer. He has gone for 23.75 crores so KKR will surely release him. He will be perfect for GT at the No. 4 position. GT have all the other positions covered. No other position is free. GT is actually a very settled team. They are only missing a batter in that position,” he said. Venkatesh Iyer endured a tough 2025 season for Kolkata Knight Riders, managing only 142 runs in 11 matches. However, he was a vital part of their title-winning run in 2024, scoring 370 runs at a strike rate of nearly 159. Earlier, former Australian batter Matthew Hayden had also pointed out Gujarat’s reliance on their top order. “Gujarat Titans have a fantastic top order with captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who were the highest-scoring opening pair last season. However, their middle order struggled heavily, with only Jos Buttler performing consistently,” Hayden told JioStar. Gujarat Titans finished third in the 2025 league stage with nine wins from 14 matches. The franchise is expected to strengthen its middle order in the upcoming mini-auction as it prepares for another title push in IPL 2026.