We are on the cusp of knowing every franchise's retentions for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, with the mini-auction set to take place in December.
Before heading into the auction to find solutions and fill holes in their squad, some teams may look to address these issues through trade deals, where they can potentially exchange players or complete an all-cash deal.
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In previous seasons, we have seen various big names, such as Hardik Pandya, Robin Uthappa, and Cameron Green, among others, move between franchises through such trades — Pandya's move from the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the Mumbai Indians (MI) being arguably the most significant such deal.
In this article, we take a look at the rumoured and completed trades for the IPL 2026 season.
Complete list of player trades and cash deals before IPL 2026 mini auction
Confirmed trade and cash deals so far
| Player traded | From Team | To Team | Price (INR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanju Samson* | RR | CSK | 18 Cr |
| Ravindra Jadeja* | CSK | RR | 14 Cr |
| Sam Curran* | CSK | RR | 2.4 Cr |
| Shardul Thakur | LSG | MI | 2 Cr |
| Sherfane Rutherford | GT | MI | 2.6 Cr |
| Nitish Rana | RR | DC | 4.2 Cr |
| Mayank Markande | KKR | MI | 30 Lakhs |
| Arjun Tendulkar | MI | LSG | 30 Lakhs |
| Donovan Ferreira | DC | RR | 1 Cr |
| Mohammaed Shami | SRH | LSG | 10 Cr |
Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja: Player swap between CSK and RR
One of the biggest moves ahead of IPL 2026 is the exchange of Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja.
After the speculation surrounding Samson's potential move to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) died down, he has now been confirmed to be traded to CSK.
Rajasthan Royals also got Sam Curran as part of the trade, making it one of the biggest player exchanges in IPL history.
MORE: Official: Sanju Samson joins CSK from RR ahead of IPL 2026 season | AllSportsPeople India
RR had to make room in their overseas slot to incorporate Curran in the team, which caused a delay. However, the trade is now final, making it the first player swap deal before the mini auction.
Major player trade rumours before IPL 2026 mini auction
Mohammed Shami rumoured to be traded by SRH after LSG hints at trade with X post
Shami is rumoured to have made the move to LSG, although the announcement has yet to be officially confirmed. The details of the deal have also not been disclosed.
Just thinking about this Ekana moment for no reason 🤭 pic.twitter.com/qxn8XNl2Ei
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) November 14, 2025
Ishan Kishan to the Mumbai Indians
The former IPL winner with MI, who was acquired by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2025 mega auction, is another name linked to a trade back to MI.
While the rumours have not been in the headlines, it was recently learned that the franchises are in discussions about a potential deal, with the Men in Blue in need of a domestic wicketkeeper-batter.
As of now, the possibilities of this move are grim, but a return cannot be ruled out completely.
KL Rahul to Kolkata Knight Riders
In pursuit of an Indian wicketkeeper batter and a captaincy option, the Knight Riders were strongly interested in getting the services of KL Rahul.
However, it was reported that the Delhi Capitals' (DC) demand of a direct swap with Sunil Narine or a swap with Angkrish Raghuvanshi + Rinku Singh or Harshit Rana was immediately dismissed by the two-time champions.
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