One of the most-anticipated player swap deals in IPL history seems to have hit a roadblock.
Though either the franchises involved or the players never confirmed the developments officially, reports had emerged that Chennai Super Kings have agreed to exchange their star all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran for Rajasthan Royals skipper and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson.
CSK’s recent birthday wish for Samson on social media sparked a frenzy among the fans of the Yellow Army, while reports of Jadeja returning to RR – where it all started in 2008 – had the Royals fans all excited.
However, recent reports suggest that the IPL swap deal may have to wait, or will have to be dropped. The potential CSK-RR deal involving Samson, Jadeja, and Curran is facing legal hurdles under IPL rules and regulations.
What do IPL rules say about player swap deals?
According to the rulebook, a player bought in an auction cannot be traded the very next season. While Jadeja and Samson were both retained by their respective teams for Rs 18 crore, Curran was bought for Rs 2.4 crore at the last auction. But, the deal will be eligible for IPL 2026 season.
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The process begins with the Expression of Interest (EOI), where a team sends BCCI a list of players it wants from other teams, following which the Board alerts the other team and gives it 48 hours to respond to the offer. After the EOI is acknowledged, the player has to give his consent. In the case of the CSK-RR deal, the three players have already reportedly given the consent.
Why is the CSK-RR swap deal on hold?
However, the presence of Curran has complicated matters, as RR already have eight foreign players – Jofra Archer, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius.
Also, the RR does not have the funds to buy Curran – their current purse value is Rs 30 lakh, while Curran's auction price is Rs 2.4 crore.
One straightforward way for the Royals to acquire Curran would be to release an overseas player worth Rs 2.4 crore or more. The axe, if at all it happens, is likely to fall on one of their two Sri Lankan spinners – Wanindu Hasaranga (Rs 5.25 crore) and Maheesh Theekshana (Rs 4.40 crore).
November 15 is the retention deadline, when all franchises will announce their retained and released players’ lists.
