Ranking 3 Biggest Trades in IPL history

With some action around the trade window ahead of IPL 2027, which recorded one of IPL's greatest trade deals, here is a peek into IPL's top three trade deals in the history of the tournament.

Ranking 3 Biggest Trades in IPL history

L-R: Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (Image source: iplt20.com)

The Indian Premier League is one of the oldest and most prestigious T20 tournaments of its kind. World-class players from any part of the globe have featured in the IPL over its 19 editions since its inauguration in 2008.

Unlike most other franchise leagues, the IPL introduced its very own system of player auctions for the selection of players. Often called the world’s highest-paying league in the game of cricket, IPL auctions are known for their financial milestones and knowledge of the true worth of cricketers.

However, alongside auctions, the IPL trading window is also the first of its kind. It resembles the loan-out system in club football, where franchises often exchange players of the same value or acquire their services through pre-auction monetary deals.

The IPL 2026 trade window had already witnessed one of the biggest trades in its history, and within months after the end of IPL 2026, the Delhi Capitals and the Lucknow Super Giants entered into a record-defying deal for the Indian southpaw Rishabh Pant.

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Rishabh Pant – Kuldeep Yadav: DC-LSG trade deal

The Lucknow Super Giants broke their bank while aiming to have Rishabh Pant in the IPL 2025 mega-auction. The Sanjiv Goenka-owned side bought Pant for a whopping INR 27 crore, making it the highest deal offered to a cricketer in the history of the tournament.

However, Pant has struggled to justify his price tag over the past two seasons on the LSG side. In two horrific seasons with the bat, Pant amassed 269 and 312 runs, respectively. On the other hand, under Pant’s leadership, LSG failed to break into the playoffs in the past two seasons, while finishing at the bottom of the point table in 2026.

Rishabh Pant-Kuldeep Yadav trade deal
Rishabh Pant – Kuldeep Yadav Trade deal (Image Source: iplt20.com)

Tom Moody’s indications had already proved a forthcoming deal for the LSG skipper, who stepped down from captaincy after a disastrous end to LSG’s campaign in IPL 2026. Soon after the end of the season, the Delhi Capitals signed a massive deal with the Lucknow Super Giants, involving the Indian southpaw.

Rishabh Pant will head back to the national capital, while left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav will head to his hometown of Lucknow. The local boys have been exchanged for the price tags of INR 15 crore and INR 13.5 crore, respectively.

This deal meets the demands of both teams, as it will be recorded as one of the biggest deals in the history of the competition, as it involves two of India’s brightest names in the shortest format of the game.

Hardik Pandya to MI: GT-MI trade deal

Hardik Pandya, the veteran Indian all-rounder who earned a widespread reputation as a match-winning cricketer, was among the biggest ever trade deals in the history of the IPL. He was traded to the Mumbai Indians after two highly successful seasons with the Gujarat Titans in 2022 and 2023.

Swayed away by Hardik’s phenomenal captaincy stint with the Titans, the Mumbai Indians management made some tough calls. Rohit Sharma, the five-time IPL-winning skipper, was sacked from captaincy while MI released in-form Cameron Green to acquire the money, roughly INR 15 crore, for the Hardik Pandya deal.

Hardik Pandya
MI have failed under Hardik Pandya’s leadership (Image Source: BCCI)

However, after three seasons under Hardik’s captaincy, the Mumbai Indians management is disappointed with the team’s poor show under the Indian all-rounder. MI managed to reach the playoffs in 2025 while finishing at the bottom of the points table in the two other seasons, 2024 and 2026.

Hence, Mumbai’s biggest gamble went on to be their biggest flop, as Hardik has not only failed as a captain but has also struggled to contribute significantly with either the bat or the ball.

Sanju Samson-Ravindra Jadeja-Sam Curran: CSK-RR trade deal

Among all the deals that have been made over all these years in the IPL, the Sanju Samson trade deal between the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals will remain etched into the history of the IPL as one of the most highly rewarding deals in the history of the IPL.

Sanju Samson, the Rajasthan Royals skipper then, was all set to make a move on from his former franchise, the side he had captained over the past few seasons. With the Chennai Super Kings aiming for a wicket-keeper batter, they had a long series of discussions with the Royals.

Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson’s 18 crore trade deal with CSK (Image Source: Cricinfo)

The trade between CSK and the Rajasthan Royals included Samson’s exchange at a whopping price of INR 18 crore, with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran being traded to the Royals for INR 14 and 2.4 crore, respectively.

While many contenders came in for the trade, no one looked as determined as the men in yellow. Samson’s trade to the Super Kings brought him good fortune, as he crafted three of the most impactful and historic innings in his career as an international cricketer for India. He played a monumental role in India’s first-ever consecutive World Cup triumphs.

Samson’s trade proved to be a big success for the Super Kings as the right-handed batter amassed 477 runs in his first season at CSK. This success came alongside two massive centuries following a sluggish start to the 2026 season.

On the other hand, the Royals benefited equally with Jadeja’s return to his home side after a long span of 17 years. While this features as one of the costliest trades in the history of the IPL, it is not far from being the most profitable trade deal signed between two IPL franchises.

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