The final hours before the IPL retention deadline delivered the league’s most dramatic trade window in years, led by a headline swap that felt unthinkable even a season ago: Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings; Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to Rajasthan Royals.
For a franchise built on continuity, CSK’s willingness to part ways with Jadeja, a champion, a loyalist, and once their hand-picked successor to MS Dhoni, signals the clearest shift yet in their rebuilding philosophy.
Samson’s arrival, at full value, fits their immediate need for a stable, high-class Indian top-order presence after a turbulent season in which the batting often wilted.
Rajasthan, meanwhile, have doubled down on experience. Jadeja’s all-round competence and Curran’s left-arm seam give them a plug-and-play solution to their soft middle phases with both bat and ball.
RR, who have spent the past two seasons craving a reliable Indian spine, suddenly find themselves with two players capable of dictating tempo across formats.
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But the blockbuster swap was just the start.
Across the league, teams used the window less as a vanity exercise and more as a structural correction.
Lucknow Super Giants, who have battled inconsistency in their pace department, secured Mohammed Shami, betting on the veteran’s nous despite his recent injury hits.
The move gives them a high-impact powerplay bowler while also cutting down auction risk — a calculated choice after splashing heavily on retention last year. The addition of Arjun Tendulkar works as a developmental foil at virtually no cap stress.
Mumbai Indians quietly executed one of the smartest pivots. Shardul Thakur’s arrival restores an Indian seam-bowling option with lower volatility than their younger quicks, while Mayank Markande’s return boosts a spin group that had thinned out over seasons of churn. MI haven’t torn up their script, but they’ve tightened the loose ends.
Delhi Capitals made a solitary but telling decision: they held firm on KL Rahul amid multiple approaches. The message is clear: the franchise wants Rahul at the centre of their rebuild, even as they trim around him.
The acquisition of Nitish Rana, a flexible domestic batter with leadership pedigree, deepens an Indian core they’ve lacked for years.
Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders approached the window differently.
GT trimmed the finishing roster, sending Sherfane Rutherford to Mumbai, hinting at a desire to free funds for a dependable middle-order solution after an erratic 2025 season.
KKR, having chased Rahul and Samson unsuccessfully, now stare at another leadership puzzle, and may be forced into a multi-layered auction reset after the Venkatesh Iyer overspend last year.
Punjab Kings, for once, resisted their urge to start from scratch. Their interest in Cameron Green, however, may still force a high-profile release if they wish to compete financially.
Rajasthan Royals, now armed with Jadeja and Curran, are expected to overhaul their bowling entirely with Hasaranga, Theekshana and even Hetmyer under review, crafting a roster built more on control than flair.
Sunrisers Hyderabad face the harshest dilemma. Shami’s departure was expected; Heinrich Klaasen’s potential release was not. With several rivals racing into the auction with larger purses, SRH risk weakening their only world-class middle-order hitter unless they hedge smartly.
The most striking observation, across teams, is how ruthlessly the trade window was used to fix structural gaps ahead of the auction. This wasn’t a star-chasing spree; it was a hard-eyed correction of imbalances accumulated over seasons.