The IPL 2026 auction is going to be set on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, so all the 10 franchises are getting ready after the retentions and releases are done. The IPL trade window 2026 has already made a lot of noise with the Sanju Samson trade and the Ravindra Jadeja trade being the talk of the town, to mention a few. The combination of the teams has been altered by IPL trades-could be player-for-player or all-cash deals-to the auction limit over the years.
That being said, IPL trades have been a part of the tournament’s history all along. The tournament has gone through 18 seasons and during this period, a fair number of trades have taken place between franchises, whether they be player for player or cash only.
What Is the IPL Trade Window?
The IPL trade window is that period before every auction when franchises are allowed to exchange players either through all-cash or player-swap deals. It was introduced in 2009 and it enables teams to replace players without waiting for the auction to take place.
All IPL Trades Over the Years
The IPL trade window has been a source of many thrilling player movements over the years, which ranged from blockbuster swaps to clever all-cash deals. A comprehensive year-by-year list of all the IPL trades ever is presented here, containing details about every major exchange between franchises.
Zaheer Khan and Robin Uthappa (MI & RCB, 2009)
One of the very first trades to occur post the opening season of IPL was that of Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) who reached an agreement on trade in 2009. MI got Robin Uthappa from RCB in exchange for Zaheer Khan. Zaheer had a good past season with 13 wickets in 11 matches.
Ashish Nehra and Shikhar Dhawan (DC & MI, 2009)
Another trade of the same year was done between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians regarding Ashish Nehra and Shikhar Dhawan. This was the second change for MI after their inaugural season, as they lost Shikhar to DC.
Dhawan made a total of 340 runs in 14 outings in 2008. But, later on, MI did not utilize him enough.
Dinesh Karthik (PBKS & MI, 2012)
The former keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik was bought by the now five-time IPL title holders MI in 2012 as a part of the cash deal. Karthik was playing for the Punjab Kings (previously Kings XI Punjab) and was swapped to MI for the fifth edition of the IPL.
Pragyan Ojha (DC & MI, 2012)
The left-arm spinner was acquired by the Mumbai Indians from the Deccan Chargers in 2012, for an all cash deal. This was a step after a dull IPL 2011, during which he took part in 10 matches but failed to take any wicket for the team.
Kevin Pietersen (Deccan Chargers & Delhi Capitals, 2012)
The English player had a brilliant IPL 2009/10 and also 2012. But he was transferred to the Delhi Capitals in 2012, a season in which he made 305 runs in just eight games. The swap was an all-cash deal between the two franchises.
Ashish Nehra and Ross Taylor (Delhi Capitals & Pune Warriors India, 2013)
Before the 2013 season, Ashish Nehra was sent to the Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils), in return of Ross Taylor, a deal which did not involve any cash. Nehra had taken only 11 wickets from 13 matches in the 2012 season.
Parthiv Patel (RCB & MI, 2015)
The wicketkeeper-batter from Gujarat scored 205 runs in 12 matches for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2014, then he was traded to the Mumbai Indians in an all-cash deal. But, Parthiv Patel became a regular player for the Blue & Gold team over the next three seasons.
Manvinder Bisla (KKR & RCB, 2015)
Manvinder Bisla, the 2012 final hero for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), was traded to RCB by KKR ahead of the 2015 IPL season an all-cash deal. The batter who scored a decisive 89 in the 2012 IPL Final against CSK, and the winning team, the Knight Riders, took the prize.
Unmukt Chand (RR & MI, 2015)
The U19 World Cup-winning captain Unmukt Chand was among the players who were part of the Rajasthan Royals trade over to the Mumbai Indians before the 2015 season. Chand was exchanged after playing one match for RR in 2014, where he could not make an impact. He was with MI till 2016, which was his last year in the IPL to date.
Vinay Kumar (KKR & MI, 2015)
The former Karnataka captain was picked up from KKR by Mumbai Indians during the 2015 trade. The KKR experience of Vinay Kumar lasted only for a season where he was part of the team for nine matches and with a total of six wickets, his contribution was not significant in terms of wicket taking. However, he continued with MI for three more seasons.
KL Rahul (SRH & RCB, 2016)
In retrospect, this may be among the largest exchanges in the history of the much-prized competition. Young KL Rahul switched from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to RCB through a cash deal in 2016. The wicket-keeper batsman made several pivotal contributions to the RCB camp.
Kedar Jadhav (DC & RCB, 2016)
After completing three consecutive seasons at Delhi Capitals, Kedar Jadhav was moved to RCB prior to the 2016 season in an all-cash deal. He only played four matches in 2016, but the next year allowed the all-rounder to develop into a much more significant role.
Quinton de Kock (RCB & MI, 2019)
The South African wicketkeeper-batter, after a below-par season in 2018, was moved to the trade log of Mumbai Indians in 2019 as a part of an all-cash trade. De Kock represented MI for three years and throughout this period he scored more than 1200 runs, being part of two title-winning sides.
Mandeep Singh and Marcus Stoinis (PBKS & RCB, 2019)
Ahead of the 2019 season, Punjab Kings traded Mandeep Singh to RCB in exchange for Marcus Stoinis. As an all-rounder Marcus Stoinis would add significantly to the team’s capability. On the contrary, Mandeep Singh filled the spot of a finisher at RCB.
Ravichandran Ashwin (PBKS & DC, 2020)
Punjab Kings let go of their star off-spinner, R Ashwin, who was taken by the Delhi Capitals before the 2020/21 IPL season. Ashwin played with the Capitals for two seasons and later joined the Rajasthan Royals
Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tewatia + Mayank Markande (DC & RR, 2020)
Before the high-profile IPL 2021 season, Ajinkya Rahane was traded from Rajasthan Royals to Delhi Capitals. In return, RR grabbed the talent of Rahul Tewatia and Mayank Markande who were with the team for a few seasons.
Trent Boult (DC & MI, 2020)
The New Zealand fast bowler was exchanged from the Delhi Capitals to the Mumbai Indians before IPL 2021 in a cash-only deal. At MI, Trent Boult had some really fantastic years and he is still with the team albeit he is not part of the franchise anymore and has parted with the franchise a few years back.
Robin Uthappa (RR & CSK, 2021)
Karnataka’s wicketkeeper-batter Robin Uthappa switched to CSK from RR in an all-cash deal for the 2021 season. He played only four matches in 2021, but he appeared in 12 matches in the following season and scored a total of 230 runs in the 2022 season.
Harshal Patel (DC & RCB, 2021)
One of the bowlers considered the best for the art of changing pace deliveries was Harshal Patel who was traded from DC to RCB in an all-cash agreement. He played for RCB for three seasons, which were some of his best seasons in the tournament so far.
Daniel Sams (DC & RCB, 2021)
The left-arm pacer from Australia was moved by DC to RCB before the 2021 season. He played for RCB but did not get to play more than three games in the tournament after being traded to them. The Australian has had a very dismal IPL campaign so far with all three teams he has represented till now.
Lockie Ferguson (GT & KKR, 2023)
The fast bowler was traded from Gujarat Titans to KKR ahead of the 2023 season. He managed to take just 12 wickets from 13 matches in 2022 for GT, but he could not make any impression with the Knight Riders in the next season either.
Jason Behrendorff (RCB & MI, 2023)
The left-arm speedster from Australia was transferred from RCB to MI in an all-cash deal in 2023 after not having played even one game for the former franchise. However, he went on to take 14 wickets for MI in 12 matches in 2023.
Romario Shepherd (LSG & MI, 2024)
Romario Shepherd was swapped to the Mumbai Indians by LSG in 2024, after going through a mediocre year with the previous team. Nonetheless, the West Indian all-rounder took the spotlight with MI, hitting over 30 runs in just one over at Wankhede stadium in 2024.
Devdutt Padikkal and Avesh Khan (RR & LSG, 2024)
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had RR trade the exceptional opener Devdutt Padikkal for the speedy bowler Avesh Khan in 2024. Avesh has played a key role for the Super Giants and will be a sure shot to be retained this season.
Shahbaz Ahmed and Mayank Dagar (SRH & RCB, 2024)
The two spinning all-rounders were swapped between the franchises in 2024. Shahbaz Ahmed moved from RCB to SRH in exchange for Mayank Dagar. The franchises, having both players as bowling all-rounders, tried to capitalize on their strengths.
Cameron Green (MI & RCB, 2024)
Cameron Green after the 2023 season with the Mumbai Indians had been nothing short of spectacular was eventually parted ways with the franchise and traded to RCB in an all-cash deal. This, although a part of a bigger plan, drew quiet a lot of speculation from the fan fraternity.
Hardik Pandya (GT & MI, 2024)
This would be one of the most talked about trades in the history of IPL in a negative way. MI snatched up Hardik Pandya from GT through an all-cash deal and crowned him captain over Rohit Sharma which did not go over well with the fans of the team. The year 2024 was a very dark one for MI and Hardik Pandya as a captain.
Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja + Sam Curran (RR & CSK, 2026)
The trade that is topping headlines the most before the IPL 2026 auction is that Sanju Samson will be wearing the yellow jersey in IPL 2026. However, along with Ravindra Jadeja, the Rajasthan Royals are surely making a big step forward in their title journey. The IPL 2026 trade window has been such an active one that it can be said to be one of the most active in IPL history.
CSK usually enhances its player count a lot less than other franchises do. They have never historically traded at all. The Jadeja transfer along with the Sanju Samson coming to CSK has already been proclaimed as the most talked-about transfer in IPL trade news 2026, indicating one of the biggest swaps in the league’s history.
Shardul Thakur (LSG & MI, 2025)
Just when the whole world was busy witnessing the blockbuster trade of Sanju and Jadeja, the Mumbai Indians, quietly and shrewdly, entered through the back door by getting Shardul Thakur from the Super Giants in a cash-only transaction. Thakur will represent the five-time IPL champions in IPL 2026.
Arjun Tendulkar (LSG & MI, 2026)
Arjun Tendulkar also made the move to LSG from the Mumbai Indians following very limited action with the Hardik Pandya-led unit just before the IPL 2026 auction. The left-arm pacer is optimistic about getting more chances in the IPL with LSG during IPL 2026.
