Delhi Capitals have made their second confirmed trade of the IPL 2027 window. In a two-way, all-cash deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad, DC have brought in leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari for ₹40 lakh and sent left-arm quick T Natarajan to SRH for ₹5 crore.
This follows the earlier confirmed swap that saw Rishabh Pant return to DC and Kuldeep Yadav move to Lucknow. The bigger story is still developing off the field, with DC reportedly leading the race for Hardik Pandya, although nothing there is signed. This page separates DC’s confirmed moves from the ongoing rumours.
DC Confirmed Trade: Zeeshan Ansari In, T Natarajan Out
Delhi Capitals have completed a straight two-way swap with Sunrisers Hyderabad. DC bring in young leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari and send left-arm seamer T Natarajan the other way, with both players moving at set fees in an all-cash arrangement.
| Player | Direction | Move | Fee | Deal Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeeshan Ansari | In | SRH to Delhi Capitals | ₹40 lakh | All cash (two-way trade) |
| T Natarajan | Out | Delhi Capitals to SRH | ₹5 crore | All cash (two-way trade) |
For DC, the move adds a wrist-spin option for a modest ₹40 lakh while clearing Natarajan’s ₹5 crore from the books, freeing up roughly ₹4.6 crore of purse ahead of the IPL 2027 auction. Natarajan returns to SRH, where he first made his name. The trade is completed inside the IPL 2027 trade window, before the mega auction.
DC IPL Trade 2027: Status At A Glance
| Player | Status | Moving From | Moving To | Latest Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeeshan Ansari | Confirmed | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Delhi Capitals | Traded in for ₹40 lakh |
| T Natarajan | Confirmed | Delhi Capitals | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Traded out for ₹5 crore |
| Rishabh Pant | Confirmed | Lucknow Super Giants | Delhi Capitals | Confirmed June 23, 2026; fee cut to ₹15 crore |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Confirmed | Delhi Capitals | Lucknow Super Giants | Moves at existing fee of ₹13.5 crore |
| Hardik Pandya | Rumour | Mumbai Indians | Delhi Capitals (linked) | DC reportedly offering Axar Patel and Prithvi Shaw |
| David Miller | Denied | Delhi Capitals | Chennai Super Kings (talk) | Swap with Khaleel Ahmed denied by both sides |
Rishabh Pant Returns To DC, Kuldeep Yadav Departs: The Trade Explained
The IPL governing council confirmed this swap on June 23, 2026. Rishabh Pant returns to Delhi Capitals, and Kuldeep Yadav moves to Lucknow Super Giants in exchange.
LSG signed Pant for ₹27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, still the highest bid in IPL history. He now joins DC at a revised fee of ₹15 crore, a cut of ₹12 crore.
That works out to a pay drop of nearly 44 percent. Kuldeep’s price hasn’t changed. He moves to Lucknow at his existing fee of ₹13.5 crore.
Pant isn’t new to Delhi. He played nine seasons for the franchise, from 2016 to 2024, and featured in 111 matches, more than any other DC player. He also captained the side in 43 matches across four seasons.
Kuldeep spent five seasons at DC, from 2022 to 2026, and picked up 72 wickets in 65 matches at an economy of 8.24. This trade marks his first move to a new IPL franchise.
Both players are coming off a season to forget. Pant managed just 312 runs in 13 innings while leading LSG, who finished bottom of the table with four wins from 14 games. Kuldeep managed only around 10 wickets at DC, at an economy above 10.
Does This Change DC’s Captaincy Picture?
Pant led Delhi Capitals for four seasons before his move to Lucknow. Axar Patel has captained the side since IPL 2025 and kept the role through IPL 2026. DC hasn’t said anything official yet about who leads the team in IPL 2027, so this one’s still open.
Hardik Pandya To DC: The Rumour Gathering Pace
Hardik Pandya is now firmly linked to Delhi Capitals. Times of India reports name DC as front runners for the Mumbai Indians captain, just weeks after completing the Pant trade.
Delhi Capitals clearly isn’t done shopping. Fans had barely finished celebrating Pant’s return, and the franchise is already chasing another marquee name.
DC is reportedly willing to offer captain Axar Patel and opening batter Prithvi Shaw as part of the package.
The move makes sense for Mumbai too. MI has lacked a genuine spin-bowling all-rounder since Krunal Pandya left for RCB, and Axar fits that gap well. He also adds runs down the order.
The numbers line up reasonably well. Hardik currently earns ₹16.35 crore at MI, while Axar takes home ₹16.50 crore at DC, so neither side needs to stretch its budget much.
Shaw’s inclusion is where this gets tricky. He hasn’t played a single IPL game for DC across the last two seasons, and MI reportedly isn’t keen on taking him just to make up numbers. Some social media reports suggest MI wants uncapped batter Sameer Rizvi instead, though no major outlet has confirmed this detail yet.
Where Else Has Pandya Been Linked?
DC isn’t the only team in this race. CSK was reportedly interested too, though CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan has denied any formal talks.
KKR and Rajasthan Royals have also been credited with interest, and one earlier report floated Yashasvi Jaiswal moving to MI as part of a separate swap route. None of this involves DC directly, but it shows how crowded the race for Hardik has become.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra floated a different idea on his YouTube show, suggesting Mumbai could send KL Rahul to Delhi in exchange for Hardik instead. This is a pundit’s suggestion, not a reported deal.
Other DC Trade Chatter For IPL 2027
One DC rumour has already been shut down. Reports on June 22, 2026 suggested Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals could swap Khaleel Ahmed for David Miller. Both franchises denied it within a day.
Khaleel played just five of CSK’s 14 matches in IPL 2026 before a quadriceps tear ended his season early. He picked up two wickets at an average of 73, though his economy stayed under nine.
Miller had a mixed IPL 2026 for DC, scoring just over 200 runs at an average of 35.16 and a strike rate of 154.01 across 11 games.
DC’s Previous IPL Trade: Nitish Rana In, Donovan Ferreira Out
| Season | Player In | Player Out | Trade Partner | Date Confirmed |
| IPL 2026 | Nitish Rana | Donovan Ferreira | Rajasthan Royals | November 15, 2025 |
This is DC’s most recent trade before the current window. Delhi Capitals sent South African all-rounder Donovan Ferreira to Rajasthan Royals and received Nitish Rana in return, ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
Rana moved at his existing fee of ₹4.2 crore. Ferreira’s price was revised upward, from ₹75 lakh to ₹1 crore.
Rana is Delhi-born and plays his domestic cricket for the state side, so the move brought a local player back home to add middle-order depth.
IPL 2027 Auction And Trade Window: Key Dates For DC Fans
IPL 2027 is expected to run on a mini-auction format. Mega auctions typically happen once every three to four years, and the last one was held in 2025.
The pre-auction trade window opened in late June 2026. Reports expect it to stay open until roughly the second week of December 2026, about a week before the auction itself.
The exact auction date isn’t confirmed yet. Some reports point to the third week of November 2026, others to the third week of December 2026, in line with the IPL 2026 auction, which was held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. The BCCI hasn’t announced an official date.
Once the auction wraps up, a second trade window reopens and stays active until about a month before IPL 2027 begins, expected in late March 2027.
Conclusion: DC’s IPL 2027 Rebuild Is Already Underway
Delhi Capitals have been among the most active sides this window. They have brought back Rishabh Pant, added leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari from Sunrisers Hyderabad, and moved on Kuldeep Yadav and T Natarajan, all before the auction.
A move for Hardik Pandya would be the biggest yet if the reports hold. DC’s record shows they lean on trades as much as the auction to shape their squad, and this page will be updated as more moves are confirmed.
Quick FAQs
No. DC is reportedly the front runner and willing to offer Axar Patel and Prithvi Shaw, but nothing is signed yet.
Only one confirmed move. Rishabh Pant returns from LSG, and Kuldeep Yadav goes the other way.
No. Both CSK and DC denied this swap in June 2026.
It’s expected to be a mini-auction, likely to happen on the third week (14-16) of December 2026. The BCCI hasn’t confirmed an exact date yet.
DC have made two confirmed trades. They brought back Rishabh Pant in a swap that sent Kuldeep Yadav to Lucknow, and in a separate deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad they signed leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari for ₹40 lakh while trading T Natarajan to SRH for ₹5 crore.
