IPL 2026 mini auction is near and with this the hustle and bustle of ‘trade window’ has started. This time in the headlines are Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson and Chennai Super Kings’ Ravindra Jadeja, whose news of possible trade has shaken the cricket world. IPL auction is often in discussion, but this time the biggest question is how does the trade process happen in IPL? What are the rules for changing players and on what terms are these deals finalized? Let us know…
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Sanju Samson’s trade in discussion – Photo: ANI
What is player trade in IPL?
Trade means the movement of a player from one team to another without going into the auction again. This happens in two ways-
Exchange of players and it is also called player swap.
Buying and selling in exchange for money and this is also called cash deal.
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Pathirana and Karan – Photo: BCCI
For example, if Chennai Super Kings trade a player to Rajasthan Royals and get another player or money in return, it is called a trade. In this process the player does not have to return to the auction table.
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Rohit Sharma and Travis Head – Photo: ANI
When does the trade window open?
The trade window usually opens about a month after the end of each season. It continues till a week before the next auction. It reopens after the auction and remains active for about a month before the start of the tournament. This means teams have plenty of time to swap players according to their strategy.
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Hardik Pandya – Photo: IPL/BCCI
How is the deal value decided?
In a one-way trade, also known as a one-way trade, the team buying the player pays the same amount at which he was last auctioned. If it is a swap deal, then both the teams settle the deal by adding the difference in the price of the players.
For example,
When Hardik Pandya left Gujarat Titans and returned to Mumbai Indians in 2024, Mumbai paid Gujarat his original auction price and additional transfer fees.
Similarly, Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals made a two-way trade for Avesh Khan and Devdutt Padikkal, in which Lucknow also paid an additional amount of Rs 2.25 crore.
Similarly, in 2021, when CSK traded Robin Uthappa to Rajasthan, it was an all cash deal. That means CSK had given money to Rajasthan instead of giving any player in return.
