Four trades were confirmed late on Thursday, tidying up the player ledger before the auction and giving several teams the balance they have been after since last season.
The headline move sees Sanju Samson leave Rajasthan Royals for Chennai Super Kings in a three-player exchange that sends all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran the other way. Chennai’s management, in a short release, called Samson “a top-order glue who can change gear without fuss”. Rajasthan described the outgoing captain as “part of our family for a decade” and thanked him “for memories that will stay with us”.
Mumbai Indians, unusually quiet in last year’s window, completed two deals in the space of an hour. Shardul Thakur arrives from Lucknow Super Giants for INR 2 crore, providing the home side with a domestic seam option to rotate with Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. They also prised Sherfane Rutherford away from Gujarat Titans for INR 2.6 crore; the left-hander is seen as batting cover while Suryakumar Yadav recovers from surgery.
Lucknow did not leave empty-handed. They secured Arjun Tendulkar for INR 30 lakh, the franchise believing the left-arm seamer’s skid and lower-order hitting suit their black-soil square. “A straight swap of skill-sets,” said LSG analyst Hari Prasad, “and at a price we could live with.”
Key trades completed
• Sanju Samson → Chennai Super Kings (from Rajasthan Royals)
Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran → Rajasthan Royals (from CSK)
• Shardul Thakur → Mumbai Indians (from Lucknow Super Giants) – INR 2 crore
• Sherfane Rutherford → Mumbai Indians (from Gujarat Titans) – INR 2.6 crore
• Arjun Tendulkar → Lucknow Super Giants (from Mumbai Indians) – INR 30 lakh
Why it matters
CSK have chased a wicketkeeper-batter since MS Dhoni hinted, again, that 2026 might be his last season. Samson gives them flexibility: he can keep, lead if required and, crucially, bat anywhere from No. 3 to No. 5. Rajasthan, for their part, gain an India all-round pair who can operate across phases with bat and ball—valuable on a home pitch that grips early and flattens out later.
Mumbai’s double purchase suggests a return to their tried-and-tested formula: depth in domestic pace and a spare overseas hitter. Thakur’s ability to bowl knuckle-balls at the death should take load off Bumrah; Rutherford adds a left-hand option in a line-up heavy on right-handers.
Lucknow’s gamble on Tendulkar is low-cost. The 25-year-old managed only four overs for Mumbai last season but hit hard lengths in domestic one-day games. With Mark Wood’s availability uncertain, a back-up left-armer made sense.
Next steps
All ten teams have until the mini-auction—dates yet to be finalised—to release additional players. Expect more movement, especially among spinners, once the domestic calendar finishes in early January.
Franchises involved
Sunrisers Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.
