Story perspectives

Sunrisers Hyderabad trade for Natarajan, pay Rs 5 crore

By Drooid · Oct 14, 2026, 5:05 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Sunrisers Hyderabad acquire left-arm pacer T Natarajan from Delhi Capitals for a revised fee of Rs 5 crore.
Delhi Capitals receive leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari from Sunrisers Hyderabad at his existing price of Rs 40 lakh.
Natarajan claimed 19 wickets in the 2024 season, the most by any SRH bowler that year.
Ansari has six IPL wickets in 10 appearances, including three on debut against Delhi Capitals.

History

Historical Context

When the IPL launched in 2008, the first player auction made MS Dhoni the costliest pick at US$1.5 million, establishing a market-driven pricing model that was later topped by England’s Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff at US$1.55 million in the 2009 auction. Decades of rising fees, now reflected in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Rs 5 crore spend on T Natarajan, have led the BCCI to contemplate tighter salary-cap rules.

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Story summary

Sunrisers Hyderabad acquire left-arm pacer T Natarajan from Delhi Capitals for a revised fee of Rs 5 crore.
Delhi Capitals receive leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari from Sunrisers Hyderabad at his existing price of Rs 40 lakh.
Natarajan claimed 19 wickets in the 2024 season, the most by any SRH bowler that year.
Ansari has six IPL wickets in 10 appearances, including three on debut against Delhi Capitals.

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