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IPL 2026 Player Trading Window - All You Need To Know About Pre Season Transfers

Anurag Dasgupta

What is IPL trade window [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]What is IPL trade window [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is done and dusted and despite the next edition taking place in 2026, the buzz has already started, thanks to the IPL trade window. This transfer period allows the 10 franchises to re-think about their squad for the next season and trade some of their unwanted players with the cricketers of their liking from other teams.

The excitement has already reached its peak, especially with several high-profile names already in line for a trade deal. In this piece, we will understand how the IPL trade window works and how long is it open.

What is the IPL trade window?

This is a special window before and after the IPL auction and it allows a player to move from one franchise to another. A trade can be an all-cash deal or a player-to-player transfer. For example, if a franchise, say RCB, want to buy a player from another franchise - then they can either give cash to buy that player or can include a player from their side to complete the deal.

The best example of a trade deal is Hardik Pandya. The Mumbai Indians captain was the leader of the Gujarat Titans and helped them win the title in 2022. However, ahead of the 2024 season, his former franchise, MI came calling and the owners brought back their superstar in an all-cash deal.

The player transfer window has an opening period and there are two specific windows for the deals to go through:

1) From 9 AM (IST), seven days after the 2025 IPL season ended, till 5 PM (IST), on the date falling seven days before the first day of IPL 2026 auction. In this case, the IPL 2025 season ended on June 3, and hence, the trade window has opened from June 10, seven days after the tournament ended.

2) From 9 AM (IST), on the day following the conclusion of the IPL Player auction till 5 PM (IST) on the date falling 30 days before the start of the 2026 season.

For example - if the IPL auction ends on December 10, 2025, then the trade window will once again be opened on December 11. Now, if the IPL 2026 season commences on March 22, then the window will shut 30 days before the competition begins, ie, February 22.