The IPL Auctions are less than a month away from now and the teams are building their squads even ahead of the bid war. The auctions will be held on December 19 and the venue was reportedly confirmed as Dubai. Notably, all the 10 IPL teams have to give their retention lists ahead of the auctions and some are currently involved in a trade window to build their squad.
The teams have until 4 PM on 26 November to submit their retention lists ahead of the auctions. They are mulling over team combinations and there have been some trade exchanges already made so far. Only two trades have been confirmed till now - Romario Shepherd was traded to Mumbai Indians from Lucknow Super Giants on cash, while LSG and Rajasthan Royals swapped Avesh Khan (from LSG to RR) and Devdutt Padikkal (from RR to LSG). Reports are suggesting Hardik Pandya is also set to be traded back to Mumbai Indians but it is not official yet. But what is the trade window and what are the rules for it?
What is IPL Trade window?
The IPL trade window is a period where all the teams can trade players for other players or money ahead of auctions. After trading the players, the franchises have to release a retention list of players ahead of the auctions. The teams can trade players before 4 PM on November 26, the time when the retention lists have to be submitted.
What are the rules of the IPL Trade window?
The franchises are allowed to swap players from other teams in a trade
They can also trade players by giving money to the franchise the cricketer currently belongs to
It is mandatory to get the consent of the particular player for the trade to be completed
If more than one franchise wants a player for trade, the franchise which currently holds the player has the right to decide to which team the said cricketer will go to
The final approval for the trade is reserved with the IPL Governing council
'Icon' players cannot be traded
Players traded so far
| Player Name | From | To | Price (in INR) |
| Romario Shepherd | Lucknow Super Giants | Mumbai Indians | 50 lakh (cash deal) |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Rajasthan Royals | Lucknow Super Giants | 7.5 Crore (swap) |
| Avesh Khan | Lucknow Super Giants | Rajasthan Royals | 10 Crore (swap) |
