The IPL auction gets the headlines, but some of the league’s biggest shocks have happened quietly, in the trade window. One phone call between two franchises, and suddenly a captain is wearing a different jersey.
That window is open again right now, and fans can’t stop searching for one name: Axar Patel. Reports say Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings have talked about a swap. So it’s the perfect time to look back at the biggest IPL trades ever, from Sanju Samson’s move to CSK to Hardik Pandya’s homecoming, and see where an Axar Patel CSK trade would rank.
Quick Answer: The Top 10 Biggest IPL Trades at a Glance
- Sanju Samson to CSK for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran (RR–CSK, before IPL 2026): two franchise legends swapped.
- Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians (GT–MI, before IPL 2024): a title-winning captain goes home.
- Cameron Green to RCB (MI–RCB, before IPL 2024): a ₹17.5 crore all-cash deal.
- Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants (SRH–LSG, before IPL 2026): a ₹10 crore pace star moves on.
- Shikhar Dhawan to Delhi for three players (SRH–DC, before IPL 2019): the deal that sent a young Abhishek Sharma to Hyderabad.
- Zaheer Khan for Robin Uthappa (RCB–MI, before IPL 2009): the league’s first blockbuster swap.
- R Ashwin to Delhi Capitals (PBKS–DC, before IPL 2020): a sitting captain traded away.
- Shardul Thakur to KKR (DC–KKR, before IPL 2023): ₹10.75 crore after just one season.
- Lockie Ferguson to KKR (GT–KKR, before IPL 2023): a ₹10 crore title winner moves on.
- Nitish Rana to Delhi Capitals (RR–DC, before IPL 2026): an experienced former KKR captain changes teams.
IPL Trades Compared
| Trade | Teams | Season | Type | Reported value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samson ⇄ Jadeja + Curran | RR ⇄ CSK | 2026 | Swap | Samson ₹18 cr; Jadeja ₹14 cr; Curran ₹2.4 cr |
| Hardik Pandya | GT → MI | 2024 | All-cash | ₹15 cr + undisclosed fee |
| Cameron Green | MI → RCB | 2024 | All-cash | ₹17.5 cr |
| Mohammed Shami | SRH → LSG | 2026 | Trade | ₹10 cr |
| Dhawan ⇄ Shankar, Nadeem, Abhishek | SRH ⇄ DC | 2019 | Swap | Dhawan ₹5.2 cr; trio ₹6.95 cr |
| Zaheer ⇄ Uthappa | RCB ⇄ MI | 2009 | Swap | $450,000 and $800,000 contracts |
| R Ashwin | PBKS → DC | 2020 | Trade | Bought for ₹7.6 cr in 2018 |
| Shardul Thakur | DC → KKR | 2023 | All-cash | ₹10.75 cr |
| Lockie Ferguson | GT → KKR | 2023 | All-cash | ₹10 cr |
| Nitish Rana | RR → DC | 2026 | Trade | ₹4.2 cr |
1. Sanju Samson to CSK, Jadeja and Curran to RR: The Biggest IPL Trade Ever
Nothing else comes close. Ahead of IPL 2026, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings swapped two players who had defined their franchises. Sanju Samson, who spent 11 years at RR and captained them from 2021, moved to CSK. Going the other way were Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.
The money was huge too. Samson had been retained for ₹18 crore and moved to CSK at that same fee. Jadeja, also retained by CSK for ₹18 crore, had his fee revised to ₹14 crore at RR, while Curran stayed at ₹2.4 crore.
What made it emotional was the history. Jadeja began his IPL career with Rajasthan in 2008 and won the very first title with them. He then spent more than a decade at CSK. For Samson, it was the end of a long chapter after he had indicated he wanted a change.
2. Hardik Pandya Returns to Mumbai Indians
Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans to the title in their very first season in 2022 and back to the final in 2023. Then, just weeks later, he was gone. Mumbai Indians, where he first became a star, brought him back in an all-cash trade before IPL 2024.
ESPNcricinfo reported that Mumbai paid Hardik’s ₹15 crore salary plus an undisclosed transfer fee to the Titans. A captain who had just won a trophy, moving to a rival in the off-season, was something the IPL had never really seen before. MI then made him captain, which sparked one of the most debated seasons in the club’s history.
3. Cameron Green to RCB for ₹17.5 Crore
To pay for Hardik, Mumbai had to free up money, and Cameron Green was the answer. MI had bought the Australian all-rounder for ₹17.5 crore at the 2023 auction. A year later, they traded him to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in an all-cash deal at that same fee.
That makes it one of the most expensive pure cash trades in IPL history. It’s also a good reminder that trades are often connected. One franchise’s big move can set off a chain of others.
4. Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants
Sunrisers Hyderabad had made Mohammed Shami their second-most expensive buy before IPL 2025, at ₹10 crore. One season later, he was on his way to Lucknow Super Giants at the same fee, as confirmed ahead of IPL 2026.
For LSG, it meant adding one of India’s most experienced fast bowlers without fighting for him at an auction. For SRH, it freed up a big chunk of their purse. Trades like this show that the window isn’t only about stars wanting a move. It’s also about teams planning their budgets.
5. Shikhar Dhawan Back to Delhi, and the Abhishek Sharma Twist
Before IPL 2019, the newly renamed Delhi Capitals brought their former opener Shikhar Dhawan home from Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he had been valued at ₹5.2 crore. In return, SRH got three players: Vijay Shankar (₹3.2 crore), Shahbaz Nadeem (₹3.2 crore) and a young Abhishek Sharma (₹55 lakh), with the difference settled in cash.
At the time, Dhawan looked like the big name. Looking back, the cheapest player in the deal may have been its biggest win. Abhishek Sharma went on to become one of SRH’s most explosive openers and an India T20I player.
6. Zaheer Khan for Robin Uthappa: The First Big IPL Swap
Long before trades became a yearly event, RCB and Mumbai Indians pulled off a straight swap ahead of IPL 2009. Zaheer Khan moved from Bengaluru to Mumbai, and Robin Uthappa went the other way.
Both players moved at their existing contract values: about $450,000 for Zaheer and $800,000 for Uthappa. Both were India regulars at the time, which is why it became such a talking point. It proved that franchises were willing to swap big names, not just squad players.
7. R Ashwin to Delhi Capitals
Punjab Kings paid ₹7.6 crore for Ravichandran Ashwin at the 2018 mega auction and made him captain straight away. Two seasons later, they traded him to Delhi Capitals before IPL 2020.
Ashwin took 25 wickets in 28 games for Punjab, but the team didn’t reach the playoffs under him. Trading away your own captain is a bold move, and it showed that trades could reset a whole team’s direction, not just fill a gap.
8. Shardul Thakur to KKR for ₹10.75 Crore
Delhi Capitals bought Shardul Thakur for ₹10.75 crore at the IPL 2022 auction. After just one season, they moved him to Kolkata Knight Riders in an all-cash deal before IPL 2023.
Shardul played 14 games for Delhi and 11 for KKR across those two seasons. It’s a classic example of a team cutting its losses on an expensive buy instead of waiting for the next auction.
9. Lockie Ferguson to KKR
Gujarat Titans spent ₹10 crore on New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson at the 2022 mega auction. He played 13 games and took 12 wickets as GT won the title in their first season.
Even so, Gujarat traded him in an all-cash deal before IPL 2023, and he returned to Kolkata Knight Riders, where he had made his name. It shows that winning a trophy doesn’t guarantee a player’s spot when a team wants to rebalance.
10. Nitish Rana to Delhi Capitals
Nitish Rana has played more than 100 IPL games and even captained Kolkata Knight Riders. Before IPL 2026, Rajasthan Royals traded him to Delhi Capitals at his existing fee of ₹4.2 crore.
It wasn’t the most expensive deal of that window, but it rounds out the list because it was part of the busiest trade period the IPL has ever seen. That was the same window that saw Samson, Jadeja, Curran and Shami all move.
The Trade Everyone’s Talking About: Axar Patel to CSK?
Here’s what’s actually been reported, and what hasn’t. Several outlets say Delhi Capitals and CSK have discussed a four-player swap: Axar Patel and Ashutosh Sharma to CSK, with Dewald Brevis and Noor Ahmad to Delhi. Some reports say Delhi would rather include Sameer Rizvi instead of Ashutosh, and that CSK aren’t keen.
At the same time, Ashutosh Sharma has also been linked with Gujarat Titans, in reports suggesting Prasidh Krishna could go the other way.
The important part: as of now, neither team has confirmed anything. The retention and release deadline is reported to be November 17, so if a deal happens, an official announcement is likely around then. Until the IPL or the franchises confirm it, treat it as talk.
Would it make our top 10? If Axar, an India all-rounder and Delhi regular, really moved to CSK in a four-player deal, it would easily rank in the top five.
How Does an IPL Trade Actually Work?
- There’s a trade window. Teams can trade players during set periods, mainly in the off-season before the auction.
- Two types of deals. A swap exchanges players. An all-cash deal sends a player to a team that pays for him, like Hardik and Green.
- The fee usually stays the same. Most players move at their existing contract value, though it can be revised, as with Jadeja.
- The player has a say. Trades need the player’s agreement, and the IPL confirms deals officially.
How We Picked This List
We ranked these trades on three things: the money involved, the size of the names, and how much the move changed the teams afterwards. All fees and details come from official announcements and reports by ESPNcricinfo and other cricket outlets. Where a figure was never made public, like the transfer fee in the Hardik deal, we’ve said so rather than guess.
Our Take
The Samson–Jadeja swap is the biggest IPL trade ever, and it isn’t close. It moved two faces of two franchises at the same time. But the best value deal on this list might be the Dhawan trade, simply because of what Abhishek Sharma became. If the Axar Patel talks turn into a real deal, this November could produce another one for the top five.
More Top Lists You’ll Like
- Top 10 Most Expensive Players in IPL Auction History (2026): who got the biggest auction cheques.
- Top 5 U19 World Cup Stars Who Became India Greats (2026): where many of these trade stars started.
- Top 5 Most Successful Serie A Clubs of All Time (2026): for when you need a break from cricket.
FAQs
What is the biggest trade in IPL history?
The Sanju Samson trade to CSK, with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moving to Rajasthan Royals before IPL 2026, is widely seen as the biggest IPL trade ever.
Is Axar Patel going to CSK?
Not confirmed. Reports say Delhi Capitals and CSK have discussed a swap involving Axar Patel, but neither team has announced a deal. Wait for an official IPL or franchise announcement.
How much did Mumbai Indians pay for Hardik Pandya?
Mumbai paid Hardik’s ₹15 crore salary plus a transfer fee to Gujarat Titans. The transfer fee was never made public.
What is an all-cash trade in IPL?
It’s a trade where a player moves to a new team that pays for him, instead of giving players back in exchange. The Hardik Pandya and Cameron Green moves were all-cash deals.
When does the IPL 2027 trade window close?
Reports say the deadline for retentions and releases is November 17, 2026. Trades can usually also happen in a window after the auction, but check official IPL announcements for exact dates.
Trade details and fees are as reported by the IPL, franchises and outlets including ESPNcricinfo as of November 2026. Axar Patel trade talks are unconfirmed reports and may change.
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