IPL 2027 trades: CSK and SRH swap 4 players ahead of Dec 16 auction; Khaleel Ahmed returns to Hyderabad after 5 years
Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Chennai Super Kings and 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday completed a four-player trade deal ahead of the IPL 2027 auction scheduled to take place in December in Goa.
As per an official press release, Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards will join CSK for ₹6 crore and ₹3 crore, respectively. In return, Nathan Ellis and Khaleel Ahmed will join SRH for ₹2 crore and ₹4.8 crore, respectively.
Khaleel previously played for SRH from 2018 to 2021. The Indian pacer enjoyed an excellent IPL 2025 campaign, taking 15 wickets from 14 matches. He played five matches for CSK in IPL 2026, but was ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to an injury.
Ellis, Edwards missed IPL 2026
Edwards, on the other hand, was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹3 crore. However, he missed out on playing even a single match in IPL 2026, as he was ruled out of the entire season due to a foot injury.
Edwards has not played an IPL match to date. Like Khaleel, Livingstone and Ellis also have IPL experience. Livingstone has played 51 IPL matches, scoring 1066 runs and taking 13 wickets. Ellis, on the other hand, has played 17 matches since making his IPL debut in 2021 and has taken 19 wickets.
Like Edwards, Ellis also missed the entire IPL 2026 season because of a hamstring injury.
Recently, the deadline day for confirming IPL retentions ahead of the 2027 season was extended by two days to 17 November. This was due to the ongoing ODI series between India and New Zealand, which will conclude on 15 November. The IPL 2027 auction is scheduled to take place in Goa on 16 December.
The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK have endured a forgettable few seasons recently, and haven’t qualified for the IPL playoffs since 2023, when they last lifted the trophy. CSK endured an eighth-place finish in IPL 2026 with just 12 points.
SRH, on the other hand, were knocked out in the Eliminator of IPL 2026 following a 47-run loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR).
