We are days away from arguably the greatest trade in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings) and Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals) are all set to be involved in an unprecedented IPL swap deal between the two franchises. As of Sunday (November 9), this deal is verbally done and only the paperworks remain.

Flashback

Since IPL 2025 ended, there were rumours of Sanju Samson moving to Chennai Super Kings after being allegedly unhappy with how things panned out at Rajasthan Royals last season. The major talk was about how the dressing room was divided and how Samson wasn’t feeling the same bond with the franchise as before.

Meanwhile, Jadeja had a nightmarish 2022 season where he was appointed captain and then removed mid-season, sparking debates about his possible exit from CSK. However, he stayed on and that was primarily due to his loyalty to MS Dhoni than the franchise in itself. Come 2025 and Jadeja still loves the franchise and vice-versa, but he allegedly feels that it’s time for a change to create a different identity.

Swap deal history

When CSK first approached RR for the Samson trade deal, it was a clear NO from the Jaipur franchise but after a few months of limbo, the deal restarted in late October. The deal was for Jadeja and Samson to be swapped, as both players were in the identical Rs 18 crore salary bracket. RR, though, wanted more and felt that the Super Kings must add one more player in the deal.

Dewald Brevis was the ask initially but CSK were quick to turn that request down. In fact, the five-time champions weren’t keen on anything other than a straight swap. However, the latest update is that all-rounder Sam Curran will also be part of the deal to the Royals. Prior to initiating this deal, the Super Kings management spoke to both players and got their verbal consent.

Current status

All three players involved have given their go-ahead and only the official paperworks remain. That is expected to be done at some point this week. It will take a total of 48 hours for a trade deal to be considered official, so it is now only a matter of when the announcement will come. According to sources, the official announcement will come from the two franchises before the end of this week.