What is a player exchange and when can it happen? It is when a player moves from the IPL franchise that bought him to another franchise during the trade window. A trade can be a cash deal or a player-for-player trade. As per IPL rules, the player exchange window begins one month after a season ends, remains open until one week before the auction date and then continues until one month before the start of the next season. . The current trading window is therefore open until December 12, with the auction scheduled for December 19, and will open again on December 20 until one month before the 2024 season begins.

What is a two-way exchange? It is essentially an exchange of players between franchises, in which the difference in their prices is paid by one team to the other.

Do players have a say in trades? Can you start it? Yes, the player’s consent is mandatory before being traded. In Hardik’s case, ESPNcricinfo understands that Mumbai Indians began talks with the Titans immediately after the 2023 IPL to determine whether it would be a cash swap or a player swap. Titans director of cricket Vikram Solanki said Hardik had “expressed his desire” to return to Mumbai, who eventually paid INR 15 crore in a cash exchange.

What happens if a player wants to move to another team but his franchise doesn’t want to let him go? In that case, the franchise has the final say on whether the player stays with them or not.

What is a transfer fee? Who decides it? Is there a limit? A transfer fee is an amount paid by one franchise to another during a trade, in addition to the player’s price. In Hardik’s case, Mumbai paid the Titans an undisclosed transfer fee, and this amount will not affect the franchise’s auction purse. The transfer fee is mutually agreed between the franchises before the exchange is completed. There is no cap on the transfer fee, but the amount is known only to the IPL and the franchises involved in the trade.

Does the player receive a portion of the transfer fee? Yes. According to the contract, a player can receive up to 50% of the transfer amount, but that depends on the agreement reached between him and the franchise that sells him. There is no guarantee that the player will receive a share of the transfer fee.

Does the transfer fee affect the auction amount? No, it’s not like that. So, in Hardik’s case, Mumbai’s auction purse will reduce by just INR 15 crore (Hardik’s price), while Titans’ purse will increase by that amount. The transfer fee is independent of the auction amount.

So does this mean that franchises with deeper pockets can win by offering high transfer fees to attract players from other teams? Isn’t it against the principle of equality of the auction bag? In a sense, yes, franchises can spend much larger amounts than their auction pool would allow to trade the players they want. However, no trade can be made without the consent of the team the player currently belongs to.