IPL trade rules explained: What teams can and can't do while trading players

The Indian Premier League (IPL) trade market is as hot as it gets. Franchises are in frantic discussions with rivals and with their targeted players, hoping to strengthen their teams going into the 2026 edition.

The biggest of these trade reports is that of Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja who are likely to end their long-time associations with Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings respectively by switching teams.

Another explosive trade deal in the making is reportedly of Lucknow Super Giants’ Shardul Thakur and Mumbai Indians’ Arjun Tendulkar, who will also switch sides if the deal goes through.

Trades have not regularly taken place in the IPL and that makes the rules regarding it a bit hazy. Here is your guide to what happens in a trade and what its guidelines.

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What is a player trade

Trades involve transfer of players between franchises outside of the auction. Trades in IPL are like a barter. An interested franchise can either offer a player in exchange of a player, or can offer to buy the contract of the player they’re looking to sign in an all-cash deal.

The most high-profile player trade in IPL history is that of Hardik Pandya, who left Gujarat Titans to join Mumbai Indians in all-cash deal ahead of the 2024 season, with MI stripping Rohit Sharma and captaincy and naming the all-rounder as his successor making the trade even more significant.

Rules of an IPL trade

To initiate a trade, teams can talk to other teams and players about the possibility of such a deal. Teams can negotiate between themselves but cannot move ahead without the consent of the player.

Players can also request their current team to release them into the auction or trade to another franchise.

The player who is traded will get the same salary from his new team at which he was signed by the franchise that is trading him. The team that gets a player loses that amount of money from their purse while the team that gives away their player gains the same for the auction.

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Also, franchises need to keep in line with the budget and other squad limits like overseas quota while finalising trades.

IPL trade window opens around a month after the end of the season and is open till a week before the auction. After the auction, trade window opens again till about a month before the start of next season.

The players bought in the auction cannot be traded ahead of the new season.

When does a trade get finalised?

Once the franchises and the players are all on board, an Expression of Interest can be sent to the BCCI by the franchise which is buying the player.

BCCI then initiates the process by taking consent of the franchise selling the player and of the player concerned. Once done, trade discussions are official and can be finalised.

Once BCCI approves the final deal after discussions, the trade is official. Even after official completion, BCCI holds the power to overrule or cancel trades if it finds irregularities, conflicts of interest, or breaches of regulations.