CSK and SRH Swap Four in Pre-Auction Trade

Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad have completed a four-player trade that reshapes both squads ahead of the next IPL season, with Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards moving to Chennai and Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis heading to Hyderabad. The BCCI confirmed the deal on Thursday.

IGK had been first to report that CSK were exploring the option of bringing in Livingstone. The England batter will join at a reduced fee of ₹6 crore, having originally been acquired by SRH for ₹13 crore at the IPL 2025 mini-auction. Edwards moves at his existing fee of ₹3 crore.

The exchange hands Chennai two players whose recent IPL fortunes diverged sharply. Livingstone won the title with RCB in IPL 2025 but featured in just two games for SRH in the following season. Edwards did not get a game at all in IPL 2026.

Hyderabad Bolster Their Pace Attack

Moving in the opposite direction are two fast bowlers whose most recent campaigns were curtailed by injury. Nathan Ellis was signed by CSK for ₹2 crore to fill the death-bowling role in place of Matheesha Pathirana, but a hamstring injury sustained at the domestic One-Day Cup final ahead of the IPL season ruled him out of the entire campaign. Spencer Johnson was subsequently named as his replacement.

Khaleel Ahmed featured in five games for CSK before a quadriceps injury ended his season. The left-arm seamer returns to SRH, the franchise he represented between 2018 and 2021.

What the Deal Reveals?

For Chennai, the trade brings middle-order power and an all-round option at a fee well below Livingstone’s original valuation, while offloading two seamers who never had the opportunity to establish themselves last season. For Hyderabad, the priority is a pace attack rebuilt around two bowlers who will be seeking to demonstrate their fitness and value after frustrating campaigns.

The financial mechanics of the deal are notable. Livingstone’s revised fee of ₹6 crore represents a significant adjustment from the ₹13 crore SRH paid at auction, giving CSK a proven international batter at a fraction of the cost while allowing Hyderabad to reallocate resources elsewhere.

Both franchises will now turn their attention to the auction, their squads reshaped by an early piece of business that addresses distinct needs.