Chennai Super Kings signed Jack Edwards and Liam Livingstone from Sunrisers Hyderabad on 5 November 2026, sending Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis the other way.
The IPL confirmed the four-player exchange ahead of the 2027 season. England all-rounder Livingstone joins Chennai for ₹6 crore, down from his ₹13 crore deal with Hyderabad. The other three players move on their existing fees.
Key Highlights
- CSK traded two specialist fast bowlers for two overseas all-rounders.
- Khaleel returns to SRH, where he played from 2018 to 2021.
- The retention deadline is 17 November 2026. The mini-auction is scheduled for 16 December in Goa.
CSK–SRH Player Exchange and Confirmed Trade Fees
| Player | From | To | Confirmed Fee |
| Liam Livingstone | SRH | CSK | ₹6 crore, revised |
| Jack Edwards | SRH | CSK | ₹3 crore |
| Khaleel Ahmed | CSK | SRH | ₹4.8 crore |
| Nathan Ellis | CSK | SRH | ₹2 crore |
Chennai took on ₹9 crore in listed player fees and sent out contracts worth ₹6.8 crore. That is a ₹2.2 crore increase in listed fees for CSK. Livingstone’s ₹7 crore pay cut compares his new fee with his previous Hyderabad contract. Chennai’s final auction purse will depend on its wider squad decisions. See the IPL’s official trade announcement on X.
Livingstone’s revised fee follows a similar deal earlier this off-season. In June, Rishabh Pant returned to Delhi Capitals for ₹15 crore after Lucknow Super Giants had bought him for ₹27 crore. Kuldeep Yadav moved the other way on his existing ₹13.5 crore deal. IPL’s Pant and Kuldeep trade announcement.
What Livingstone and Edwards Give Chennai
Livingstone appeared just twice for SRH in IPL 2026. A year earlier, he made 25 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a final they won by six runs. He came in with RCB looking to lift the scoring rate and wickets falling as batters tried to accelerate.
Edwards missed IPL 2026 with a foot injury. By September he was bowling for Australia in Johannesburg, where he took 5 for 67 in his second ODI after Ellis left the field injured. Chennai have picked up a seam option who can also bat. How many overs they ask of him in a T20 innings will depend on the rest of their attack.
How Khaleel and Ellis Fit Hyderabad’s Pace Attack
Khaleel’s 15 wickets in 14 games for CSK in 2025 are a better guide to his workload over a full IPL campaign than his five appearances in 2026. A right quadriceps injury cut that season short. Ellis missed the entire campaign, and Chennai brought in Spencer Johnson as his IPL replacement.
- With the new ball, Khaleel gives Hyderabad a left-arm angle without using an overseas place in the XI.
- In the final overs, Ellis gives SRH another option when batters are looking to hit boundaries. Hyderabad had already brought back T. Natarajan from Delhi Capitals in October.
The two moves also change the questions each team takes to the auction. Hyderabad have added pace across different stages of an innings. Chennai now have to decide how much specialist fast-bowling cover they need around their new all-rounders.
IPL 2027 Retention Deadline and Goa Mini-Auction
The BCCI gave teams two extra days to finalise their retention and release lists. The auction date and venue stayed the same.
- 17 November 2026 is the new deadline for franchises to submit their lists. The original deadline was 15 November.
- 16 December 2026 is the scheduled date for the mini-auction in Goa, where teams can bid for players to fill the remaining squad places.
Trading Khaleel and Ellis opened two squad places for Chennai. Livingstone and Edwards fill both, with one extra overseas player in the squad as a result. The retention list will show which other overseas players Chennai plan to keep and how much room they have to add another at the auction.
FAQs
Did CSK sign Livingstone and Edwards at the auction?
Both players arrived through the November trade with Hyderabad. The two franchises agreed to the exchange ahead of the mini-auction, which is scheduled for December in Goa.
Did all four players move on revised fees?
Livingstone was the only player whose fee changed in the exchange. Edwards, Khaleel and Ellis moved at the fees they had with their previous franchises.
Has Jack Edwards played an IPL match yet?
Edwards missed the entire 2026 season with a foot injury after Hyderabad signed him. His first appearance for Chennai would also be his debut in the tournament.
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