League cricket, especially if it happens to be the largest and wealthiest cricket league globally, often leads to sacrifices that require the fans to surrender their emotions in exchange for the performance. We are talking about some of the most monstrous player transfers of the past decade that not only jolted the fan base but also practically ‘played with the feelings’ of the fans.
India, with its population of 1.4 billion, is the country where Indian Premier League may not be the most favored championship, however, still a large majority of people support the franchises that belong to the country’s biggest cities, to some extent, where among others the Indian Premier League is located.
The futility of faith in IPL and the ‘Releases’
And… When it comes to fandom and possessiveness, which country can be better than India? From Thala MS Dhoni to Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli, players are an emotion to their fans, and sometimes, even though the players give all their support to the franchise, they are traded without mercy proving that loyalty is just a myth in the IPL.
If we talk about players like Sehwag or the latest sadness of Nitish Rana, then we must consider the fans’ major heartbreaks. There have been some of the biggest trades in IPL that have caused great suffering among the fans since its inception.
Times IPL Franchises Chose Money Over Player Loyalty
Delhi Capitals
To begin with, Virender Sehwag, the main man of Delhi Daredevils, was a valuable player for the team from the very beginning in 2008 until the franchise decided to release the Indian legend just before the start of the 2014 season when Kings XI Punjab picked him up.
Shreyas Iyer was one of the batsmen who possibly contributed the most through his captaincy to the Delhi Capitals as they had their first IPL final in 2020. Sadly, after a one-year injury hiatus, he was let go by Delhi only for KKR to buy him in 2022.
Rishabh Pant, who has been one of the first-choice players in the Delhi Capitals squad since his entry into the tournament, had his doom sealed, perhaps because of his arguments with the top management regarding money and captaincy. He was released before the IPL 2025 mega auction, at which point Goenka-owned LSG bought him with the highest-ever purse value in IPL auction history.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Shubman Gill, who was a useful player and was found by KKR in 2018, had been through many ups and downs in his association with the franchise but scored more than 400 runs in 2020 and 2021 editions even as the franchise decided to release him before the IPL 2022 auction where Gujarat Titans picked him up, and after two years he became the captain of the franchise.
Shreyas Iyer, who left KKR after coming from Delhi and taking the team to their third title in 2024, was soon released that very year ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, only to be snagged by Punjab Kings as the second most expensive player of the auction.
Nitish Rana, KKR’s other star who never held back in giving his all to the franchise, witnessed the management parting ways with him in IPL 2025 Mega Auction as he completed his seven-year tenure with the team during which he made significant match-winning contributions including the 2023 IPL season when he amassed 413 runs, the highest for a player.
Gujarat Titans
Mohammed Shami was not a key player at Gujarat Titans for a long time. He was with the team for the 2022 and 2023 seasons only. After he was injured and ruled out for the whole 2024 season, the Gujarat Titans decided to stop their association with him, as GT coach Ashish Nehra explained that the auction dynamics and high price did not allow them to keep the top Indian fast bowler.
On the other hand, Shami was purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2025 season, where he did not perform well.
Chennai Super Kings
After being the team’s most reliable player, Suresh Raina, aka the Chinna Thala of CSK, was left unsold in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction and his franchise did not even try to bid for him. Raina, who had been with Chennai Super Kings for all but two seasons since its inception, had fantastic performances and scored over 5000 runs for Chennai, However, his exit was quickly followed by his announcement of retirement from IPL in September 2022.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Chris Gayle, the Universe Boss, left RCB in 2018 because of a decline in his batting, and the team released the otherwise white-ball monster into the auction pool. However, he went unsold in the auction before being signed at his base price by Punjab Kings.
Yuzvendra Chahal, one of the most liked and charismatic spinners from RCB, left before the 2022 IPL Mega Auction as the franchise decided not to keep him, sacrificing him in order to have a higher-value purse in the auction. Even though Chahal was RCB’s leading wicket-taker, this move stirred the fanbase over the huge decision.
Mohammed Siraj, the celebrated Indian pace bowler, suffered a setback before the IPL 2025 Mega Auction when the franchise parted ways with him to bring in other bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. Nevertheless, Siraj was not entirely cast off, as he was picked up by Gujarat Titans for a whopping ₹12.25 crore.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
David Warner indeed went through a difficult phase in the IPL 2021 season when he was removed as the team’s captain and he was said to have a bitter relationship with the franchise. Due to both his decline in performance and leadership doubts, Warner was not kept by the franchise for the 2022 season. He even shared his grief through his social media accounts regarding the way he was treated by the franchise.
Kane Williamson, the experienced New Zealand batsman and former captain, was also let go by Sunrisers Hyderabad before the IPL 2023 Mini Auction, probably because of his weak batting. Still, his departure created a large vacuum among the SRH supporters. Williamson had been a crucial player for the franchise since 2015.
After more than ten years of service, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the underrated Indian swing king, was let go by Sunrisers Hyderabad post-IPL 2024 season. He was sold to RCB for ₹10.75 crore in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction marking the end of his record as the franchise’s all-time leading wicket-taker.
Rajasthan Royals
Jos Buttler, the flamboyant England batsman and a pillar of Rajasthan Royals for several years, was set free before the IPL 2025 Mega Auction as the Royals chose not to keep him, going along with the trend of franchises breaking their ties with some English players. However, Gujarat Titans acquired him for ₹15.75 crore at the Mega Auction.
