IPL 2027 Trade Sends Livingstone To Chennai At Rs 6 Crore

Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad have swapped four players in the first significant IPL 2027 trade of this window. Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards go to Chennai. Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis go to Hyderabad. The league confirmed the deal on Thursday, twelve days before franchises must lodge their retention and release lists.

No cash changed hands beyond the players' contracts. Three of the four move at their existing fees. One does not.

The four names and the fees

ANI reported the contract values attached to each leg of the deal. They set up the rest of the week for both squads.

• Liam Livingstone, England all-rounder, to CSK at Rs 6 crore
• Jack Edwards, Australian seam-bowling all-rounder, to CSK at Rs 3 crore
• Khaleel Ahmed, left-arm quick, to SRH at Rs 4.8 crore
• Nathan Ellis, Australian fast bowler, to SRH at Rs 2 crore

Chennai have taken on Rs 9 crore of salary and shed Rs 6.8 crore. The net cost of the deal to their cap is about Rs 2.2 crore. Hyderabad move the other way by the same margin.

Behind Livingstone's reduced price

Sunrisers bought Livingstone for Rs 13 crore at the IPL 2026 auction. He joins Chennai at Rs 6 crore, according to ANI, which is the only leg of the trade carrying a revised number. The cut frees roughly Rs 7 crore against the Hyderabad purse and lands Chennai a top-order hitter who also bowls two kinds of spin.

Edwards arrives on his existing Rs 3 crore deal. He did not play a match in IPL 2026 after a foot injury, so Chennai are buying a season of unused contract rather than recent form.

Khaleel returns to a seam group he knows

Khaleel played for Sunrisers between 2018 and 2021. He returns on the same Rs 4.8 crore. His 2025 season at Chennai brought 15 wickets in 14 matches. His 2026 lasted five games. A right quadriceps injury closed it.

Ellis gives Hyderabad a second death-overs option at Rs 2 crore. Sunrisers finished third in the IPL 2026 league stage on 18 points from nine wins and five defeats, then lost the Eliminator to Rajasthan Royals. Chennai finished eighth on 12 points.

Twelve days to retention day

The IPL moved its retention and release deadline to 17 November, a date ESPNcricinfo and The Tribune both reported last week. Squads traded before that date count against the new lists, so Thursday's business is now fixed in both franchises' planning.

Chennai also go into the season under a new head coach. ANI reported that Zaheer Khan has replaced Stephen Fleming, with Mohit Sharma as bowling coach and James Foster retained in charge of fielding. Livingstone and Edwards will be the first signings of that regime.