He showed his ruthless approach.
Newly traded Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford played a blistering cameo in the T10 League fixture between Deccan Gladiators and Aspin Stallions last night. He batted at No.3 and showed his ruthless side with the willow.
Rutherford scored 48 runs in 18 balls, including seven boundaries and two maximums, at a strike rate of 266.67. 83.33% of his runs came via fours and sixes, and he scored 35.82% of the team’s runs alone.
At one stage, Aspin Stallions looked on the verge of ending with a below-par score after one of the openers, Andre Fletcher, failed to get going. However, Rutherford’s knock ensured they posted a big 134/2 in their allotted 10 overs, which eventually proved a match-winning score.
This was his first innings of the season, and he started with a bang after middling returns in New Zealand, where he could only hit one fifty across five outings in T20Is and ODIs. Rutherford will look to continue the same to regain confidence in the shorter formats.
Sherfane Rutherford was one of the two trades the Mumbai Indians did before the IPL 2026 auction, roping him in from the Gujarat Titans (GT). The biggest reason for his inclusion was MI’s lack of another quality pace-hitter in the middle and lower middle order, given Hardik Pandya’s recent regression.
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They had Will Jacks, another top-order batter, among several already available and needed more firepower lower in the order. Rutherford was among the best options available, given the budget they could afford, and took him from GT, even though they didn’t release Jacks.
MI might likely start with Rutherford next season, ahead of Jacks, since their top order is already settled. These performances will boost his chances of strengthening his case, though a lot will depend on how both players are performing closer to the tournament.
But Rutherford’s inclusion suggests Mumbai Indians are planning to draft him in the XI straight away, even if that requires dropping Jacks, who also offers useful off-spin. Rutherford can bowl medium pace with the ball, but his bowling is not as developed as Jacks’, so he will mostly play as a specialist batter at the MI setup.
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