Some big-ticket players will turn out for new teams in IPL 2027, including Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav
Cricinfo staff
Published: Nov 11, 2026, 6:51 AM (4 hrs ago)
The IPL 2027 trade window is open, and while there hasn't been any frenetic activity on the part of the eight franchises, some big names have been swapped. Here's a look at the player movement so far.
The first trade ahead of IPL 2027 featured left-arm quick T Natarajan and right-arm legspinner Zeeshan Ansari.
Natarajan, who had been with Delhi Capitals (DC) for the past two seasons, has moved back to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who he represented from 2020 to 2024 (though he was with them in 2018 too, without getting a game). In 55 bowling innings for SRH through those years, Natarajan picked up 65 wickets at an economy of 8.82. He didn't have a happy time of it at DC, an injury restricting him to just two appearances (for no wickets) in 2025, after which he picked up five wickets in ten games in 2026.
DC had bought Natarajan for INR 10.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. He will join SRH at a revised fee of INR 5 crore.
Ansari made his IPL debut in 2025 and picked up six wickets in ten matches for SRH at an economy rate of 9.84, but was on the bench throughout the 2026 season. He has moved to DC at his existing fee of INR 40 lakh.
The high-profile trade of Rishabh Pant - from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to DC - and Kuldeep Yadav - in the opposite direction - was completed on June 23. For Pant, it was a return to the team he represented from 2016 to 2024 before moving to LSG as their captain, while for Kuldeep, LSG will be the third team after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and DC.
Pant had to take a major pay cut in the process. He had been signed by LSG at the auction prior to IPL 2025 for INR 27 crore - still an IPL auction record - but will now get a revised fee of INR 15 crore. Nothing has changed for Kuldeep, whose fee remains the same: INR 13.50 crore.
IPL 2026 didn't go well for either Pant or Kuldeep.
Pant scored 312 runs at a strike rate of 138.05 as his team finished bottom of the table with just four wins from 14 games. Two days prior to the IPL 2026 final, Pant had told LSG that he was going to step down as captain.
DC finished in sixth place last season, and Kuldeep had just ten wickets from 11 bowling innings with an economy rate of 10.29. Overall, though, Kuldeep had a good time at DC, picking up 72 wickets in 65 games at an economy rate of 8.24 since joining them in 2022.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) traded Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis out to SRH in exchange for Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards, the deal formalised on November 5.
Livingstone, who joined SRH for INR 13 crore at the last IPL auction, went to CSK at a reduced fee of INR 6 crore. Edwards, meanwhile, joined CSK at his existing fee of INR 3 crore; he was signed by SRH last season but had to withdraw because of a foot injury.
Khaleel and Ellis went to SRH for INR 4.8 crore and INR 2 crore respectively. For Khaleel, it's a return to the team he was part of from 2018 to 2021. Before moving to CSK for the last two seasons, he was with DC from 2022 to 2024. He had also been part of DC in 2016.
Ellis made his IPL debut for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2021 and was with them for four seasons, but only got a proper run in 2023, when he played ten games and picked up 13 wickets at an economy rate of 8.90. Overall, in 17 matches, he has 19 wickets at an economy of 8.67.
On November 11, news of the much-talked-about trade of Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh, between Mumbai Indians and PBKS, was made public.
Hardik, MI's captain since 2024, moved to PBKS for a fee of INR 18 crore, up from his existing fee of INR 16.35 crore.
Arshdeep, meanwhile, will turn out for a new team after playing all his IPL cricket so far for PBKS - since his IPL debut in 2019, to MI. Arshdeep has moved at his existing fee of INR 18 crore.
Cricinfo had reported last week that the trade was in the process of getting finalised, with both franchises placing an expression of interest with the IPL.
PBKS will be Hardik's third IPL team. He debuted for MI in 2015 and, after the IPL expanded to ten teams (for the second time) in 2022, he represented and led Gujarat Titans (GT) for two seasons before returning to MI in 2024. He won the IPL on five occasions, four times with MI and once with GT.
Arshdeep played 96 matches across eight seasons for PBKS and his 111 wickets for them are the most by any bowler for the side in its 19 seasons in the competition.
Note: The next IPL mini-auction, ahead of the 2027 season, will be held in Goa on December 16. Till a week before that, teams can trade players with other teams, and then resume after the auction until a month before the start of the season.
