IPL 2026 Trade Window: With the deadline for the retention for the 2026 season approaching, all 10 franchises are working fiercely to finalise their squads.

Apart from retentions, franchises can exchange players outside of the auction, either for other players or in an all-cash transaction to address specific concerns of their respective sides.

Some teams have completed a significant trade ahead of the mini auction. The IPL 2026 auction is set to be held in December, and all the teams have to submit the list of retained and released players to the IPL council by November 15.

The squads are set to announce the IPL 2026 Retained Players List ahead of the auction.

Those who are involved in the IPL 2026 Released players list are likely to take centre stage in the 2026 auction, which is likely to be held in the mid of December in India.

IPL 2026 Trade

The IPL 2026 trade windows have become serious discussions with several reports on the Sanju Samson-Jadeja trade between the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings being online.

The Mumbai Indians made a quiet but solid move by completing the trade of Shardul Thakur with the Lucknow Super Giants, and also required completing the deal of Sherfane Rutherford from the Gujarat Titans.

Thakur, who came in as a replacement for Mohsin Khan, had a decent performance in the IPL 2025 season. Meanwhile, Sherfane Rutheford failed to shine in the middle order last season, scoring only 291 runs at an average of 32.33 and a strike rate of 157.29.

The IPL 2026 trade players list will be updated here right after the official announcements.

IPL 2026 Trade News

Stay tuned for the latest updates…

• The West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford has been traded to the Mumbai Indians from the Gujarat Titans for a price of INR 2.6 crores, which comes on the same day as Shardul Thakur joining MI.
• On November 13, Shardul Thakur joined the Mumbai Indians for INR 2 crores, with Arjun Tendulkar joining Lucknow Super Giants.
• The trade of Sanju Samson-Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the IPL 2026 season has been reportedly confirmed; however, we are yet to get an official announcement from the sides.

IPL Trade and Swap Rules

The IPL trade deals happen outside of the main auction during the trading window. The trade requires consent from the player, approval from the IPL Governing Council, and can be either a player-for-player swap or a cash deal.

• Players should give a written consent for trade, and all deals require the formal approval of the IPL council.
• For international players, a No Objection certificate (NOC) from their respective home board is necessary to complete a trade.
• Only players retained by their franchises before the auction are eligible for trading.
• The trade fee paid will be separate from the auction value and will not affect their available budget for the auction.
• A team must maintain a squad size of 18-25, and the salary cap is within the league limits after a trade is finalised.

Types of Trades

Player for Player: Two franchises will be involved, swapping their required players and any difference in their salaries is covered by an additional cash payment from one franchise to the other.

Cash-Only: A franchise buys a player from another team for a fee.

Trade Window Timeline

Pre-Auction: It will be open after the previous season ends and runs until a week before the auction.

Post Auction: The IPL trade last date closes one month before the start of the new season.