Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants in talks over multi-player trade

Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants are discussing a potential multi-player trade involving fast bowler Mohammed Shami and all-rounder Sam Curran. The two franchises have already spoken to the players, though the paperwork remains unfinished.

Trade Details

If the deal goes through, it will not be a straight one-for-one exchange. Left-arm spinner Manimaran Siddharth is also part of the proposed discussion and could move to the Royals. The 28-year-old Tamil Nadu player was bought for INR 75 lakh and has taken nine wickets in nine IPL games for LSG, including the wicket of Virat Kohli in 2024. A major factor holding up the talks is the difference in contract values, as Shami is valued at INR 10 crore while Curran sits at INR 2.4 crore, leading Curran to seek a revised fee.

Squad Changes

Curran missed the entire previous season due to an injury, which drew public criticism from Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara over his availability after playing county cricket in England instead. Curran is known to have a close relationship with LSG Director of Cricket Tom Moody, having played under him for the Oval Invincibles and Desert Vipers. Meanwhile, the franchises also discussed a potential trade involving opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, though no concrete agreement has been reached, and multiple other teams have expressed interest in him.

Context

IPL trade windows allow franchises to restructure and rebalance their squads outside of the main auction process by directly swapping players. These complex deals often involve multiple players and financial adjustments to match different player salary valuations.