Top 10 biggest trade deals in IPL history ft. Rishabh Pant & Kuldeep Yadav

Many big and surprising trade deals have taken place in the history of the IPL.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is among the most entertaining and richest franchise T20I leagues in the world. Ahead of every season, an auction takes place that offers expensive deals to players. After a gap of three seasons, a mega auction is conducted, in which all 10 IPL teams spend enormous amounts to bag their favourite stars.

Although IPL franchises always hope for profitable deals at the auction, there have been times when their decisions did not prove beneficial. Some expensive players struggle with their form and fail to perform at their best.

Often, instead of being released, such big players are traded to another franchise before the next season, as they are in high demand. In this listicle, let’s take a look at the top 10 biggest trade deals of the Indian Premier League. 

Biggest trade deals in the history of IPL:

10. Ravi Ashwin from PBKS to DC for 7.6 crores (Before IPL 2020):

Punjab Kings paid 7.60 crore rupees to buy Ravichandran Ashwin in the IPL mega-auction 2018. Punjab also announced him as their new skipper, but he couldn’t continue more than two years, as PBKS decided to trade Ashwin before the 2020 season, and the off-spinner joined Delhi Capitals. Ashwin took 25 wickets in 28 games for Punjab Kings and also failed to lead his side to the playoffs. 

9. Lockie Ferguson from GT to KKR for 10 crores (Before IPL 2023):

Gujarat Titans spent 10 crore rupees on Kiwi pacer Lockie Ferguson in the IPL mega-auction 2022. Ferguson was doing a brilliant job for Kolkata Knight Riders before joining GT.

His stint with the Titans lasted just one season, as the franchise traded the Kiwi fast bowler in an all-cash deal ahead of the 2023 season. Ferguson played 13 games for the Gujarat Titans in 2022 and picked up 12 wickets for his franchise. 

8. Shardul Thakur from DC to KKR for 10.75 crores (Before IPL 2023):

Delhi Capitals bought Shardul Thakur for 10.75 crore rupees during the IPL 2022 auction, but just after one season, he was traded to Kolkata Knight Riders in an all-cash deal. He played 14 games for DC while 11 for KKR in two seasons. 

7. Hardik Pandya from GT to MI for 15 crores (Before IPL 2024):

This is probably the biggest deal Mumbai Indians have struck in the Indian Premier League. Good or bad, maybe a debate, but Hardik Pandya, after taking Gujarat Titans to IPL finals twice in 2022 and 2023, represented his old franchise, Mumbai Indians again.

Gujarat Titans spent ₹15 crore to pick Hardik Pandya in the draft ahead of the 2022 mega-auction, and after two seasons, Mumbai Indians have successfully traded in the all-rounder in an all-cash deal.

6. Cameron Green from MI to RCB for 17.50 crores (Before IPL 2024):

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green has become the costliest deal through the trading window in the Indian Premier League. Mumbai Indians spent a huge sum on Green. They bought him for ₹17.50 crore in the 2023 auction.

Green did a magnificent job for the team as well, but to accommodate funds for the Hardik Pandya deal, Mumbai decided to trade Cameron Green in an all-cash deal to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. 

5. Zaheer Khan from RCB to MI exchange for Robin Uthappa (Before IPL 2009)

Zaheer Khan is one of the most successful pacers for India. He played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the inaugural edition in 2008. Ahead of IPL 2009, he was traded by the RCB to Mumbai Indians (MI) in exchange for Robin Uthappa.

Both players were exchanged at their contractual price. While Zaheer had a price of $4,50,000, Robin Uthappa was traded with a contract value of $800,000. Both were key players of the Indian team at that time, and their trade became a hot topic among IPL fans.

4. Shikhar Dhawan from SRH to DC exchange for Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma and Shahbaz Nadeem (Before IPL 2019)

Ahead of IPL 2019, Delhi Daredevils rebranded themselves as Delhi Capitals (DC). Ahead of the season, they brought back their former opener Shikhar Dhawan from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Dhawan, who played a crucial role in SRH’s title victory in 2016 and journey to the final in 2018, was captured by DC for INR 5.20 crore.

In exchange, Capitals traded out three players to SRH: Vijay Shankar (INR 3.2 crore), Shahbaz Nadeem (INR 3.2 crore) and Abhishek Sharma (INR 55 lakhs) for a total of INR 6.95 crore. SRH paid the remaining amount in cash.

3. Mohammed Shami from SRH to LSG for INR 10 crore (Before IPL 2026)

Star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami was traded by SRH to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of IPL 2026. Shami had a contract of INR 10 crore with SRH and was picked by LSG for an all-cash deal; hence, no LSG players were given to Hyderabad in return.

In the IPL 2025 mega-auction, SRH bought Shami for INR 10 crore, but he failed to perform well, taking only six wickets in nine games at an economy of 11.23.

2. Sanju Samson from RR to CSK exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran (Before IPL 2026)

Sanju Samson‘s departure from Rajasthan Royals (RR) is one of the biggest highlights of IPL history. After representing RR for 11 seasons, Samson wished to part ways with RR to seek a fresh challenge ahead of IPL 2026.

As a result, he was traded to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In return, Rajasthan captured all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Samson was offered the same contract value of INR 18 crore, while Jadeja was given a revised price of INR 14 crore from the previous INR 18 crore.

Curran was acquired for INR 2.4 crore. Both Samson and Jadeja spent several years with RR and CSK, respectively, and played pivotal roles in their teams’ success. Hence, it is one of the shocking trade deals in the IPL.

1. Rishabh Pant from LSG to DC exchange for Kuldeep Yadav (Before IPL 2027)

Ahead of IPL 2027, Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have exchanged two high-profile players. Rishabh Pant was part of LSG in IPL 2026, but after the team’s poor show in two consecutive seasons under his leadership, he stepped down as skipper.

Less than a month after the IPL 2026 final, Pant has been traded by LSG to his former team, Delhi Capitals. The wicket-keeper batsman has been offered a revised price of INR 15 crore, compared to his previous salary of INR 27 crore.

Notably, Pant became the costliest player ever in IPL history after being picked by LSG for INR 27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction. In exchange, LSG have grabbed Kuldeep Yadav from DC for his existing fee of INR 13.50 crore.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.