Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Sanju Samson (Source: AFP)
The anticipation for the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) starts months before the auction officially takes place, with the expected and confirmed trade deals giving fans enough to talk about.
Similarly, only 24 days after the end of the IPL 2026, Delhi Capitals traded their leading spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, to bring back their former captain Rishabh Pant. The most expensive player in IPL history, Rishabh Pant, incurred a ₹8 Crore pay cut to end his forgettable stint with the Lucknow Super Giants.
Nonetheless, over the years, several high-octane trade deals have sent shockwaves in the Indian cricket fraternity.
Be it the Hardik Pandya GT-MI trade for a whopping ₹15 Crore or the Sanju Samson RR-CSK trade for ₹18 Crore in 2026, they have time and again proven that franchises don’t shy away from spending crores for the player who fits best in the team combination for the upcoming season.
That being said, below, take a look at the list of costliest trades in IPL history.
Rishabh Pant to Sanju Samson: Costliest Trades In IPL history
5) Kuldeep Yadav: DC to LSG for INR 13.25 Crore (IPL 2027)
The reports were confirmed on June 23, 2026, regarding Kuldeep Yadav officially moving from DC to LSG in a colossal trade deal that sees his existing retention price of INR 13.25 Crore carried over to his new franchise, while Rishabh Pant heads back to the Delhi Capitals.
Kuldeep joins his IPL 2027 team after a highly successful five-season stint with the Capitals. Since arriving at the franchise in 2022, the left-arm wrist spinner claimed 72 wickets in 65 matches, the most for DC in the past five seasons.
4) Ravindra Jadeja: CSK to RR for INR 14 Crore (IPL 2026)
Veteran Ravindra Jadeja’s transfer from Chennai Super Kings to Rajasthan Royals for ₹14 crore was one of the biggest blockbuster trades ahead of the 2026 season.
The high-profile trade was a direct swap agreement between the two franchises. Notably, Jadeja’s IPL 2026 fee was revised to ₹14 crore, down from the ₹18 crore he earned previously with CSK.
3) Hardik Pandya: GT to MI for INR 15 Crore (IPL 2024)
Hardik Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans ahead of the 2024 IPL season. The massive transfer was executed as an all-cash deal valued at INR 15 Crore, equal to his annual salary, alongside an undisclosed transfer fee paid to GT.
Also read: List Of All Player Trade In IPL History
Interestingly, in addition to his salary, MI paid an undisclosed, massive transfer fee directly to Gujarat Titans as part of mutual negotiations.
3) Rishabh Pant: LSG to DC for INR 15 Crore (IPL 2027)
A blockbuster player trade deal ahead of the IPL 2027 included sending Rishabh Pant from Lucknow Super Giants to Delhi Capitals for ₹15 crore.
Pant’s return to the Capitals for INR 15 Crore is a substantial reduction from the record-breaking INR 27 crore deal he initially secured with LSG. Despite that, he joins Hardik Pandya in third place in the list of costliest trades In IPL history.
The wicket-keeper batter marks a return to the franchise he played for for nine seasons between 2016 and 2024. During that period, he played 111 matches for DC, the highest by any player for the franchise. He also led the team in 43 matches across four seasons from 2021 to 2024.
2) Cameron Green: MI to RCB for INR 17.5 Crore (IPL 2024)
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was traded from the Mumbai Indians to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the IPL 2024 season for a massive fee of INR 17.5 Crore, making him the second overall and the costliest foreign player trade in IPL history.
This deal was essentially done by MI to free up their auction purse to facilitate the lucrative all-cash purchase of Hardik Pandya.
1) Sanju Samson: RR to CSK for INR 18 Crore (IPL 2026)
After months of speculation, on November 16, 2025, Sanju Samson officially moved to CSK from Rajasthan Royals in a record-breaking player trade for an INR 18 crore fee. The mega-deal involved a swap where CSK sent Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to RR.
Samson joined CSK at his existing league fee of INR 18 Cr. to fill the franchise’s need for a top-order Indian batter and MS Dhoni’s successor as the wicket-keeper. This whopping deal stands at the top in the list of the costliest trades in IPL history.
(*Data updated till 23/06/2026)
Also read: Rishabh Pant’s Record For Delhi Capitals In IPL History
