Sunrisers Hyderabad have re-acquired T Natarajan from Delhi Capitals in a pre-season trade ahead of IPL 2027, sending legspinner Zeeshan Ansari the other way. Natarajan rejoins SRH at a revised fee of INR 5 crore after two injury-hit seasons at DC.
It is done, not a rumour. Sunrisers Hyderabad have brought T Natarajan back from Delhi Capitals in a player trade ahead of IPL 2027, and legspinner Zeeshan Ansari goes to Delhi in return. Natarajan returns to SRH at a revised fee of INR 5 crore.
| At a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Trade | T Natarajan to SRH, Zeeshan Ansari to DC |
| Natarajan's new fee | INR 5 crore (revised) |
| Ansari's fee | INR 40 lakh (existing) |
| Natarajan's DC price | INR 10.75 crore (approx US$ 1.1 million) at the IPL 2025 mega auction |
| Purse effect | DC lose INR 10.35 crore, SRH lose INR 4.6 crore |
Two quiet seasons in Delhi
DC bought Natarajan for INR 10.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, and he played two seasons for them. He missed a major chunk of 2025 with injury. In 2026 he played ten matches for DC and took five wickets at an economy of 11.18, per ESPNcricinfo.
He turns 36 during IPL 2027, so SRH are betting on the bowler they remember, not the one from the last two years.
What SRH remember
His first SRH stint ran five seasons, from 2020 to 2024. It was built on pinpoint yorkers, deceptive slower balls and an effective bouncer. His most productive IPL season came in 2024: 19 wickets, SRH's leading wicket-taker that year, and a key role in their run to the final.
Zeeshan Ansari heads to Delhi
Ansari is a 26-year-old leg-spinner. He made his IPL debut in 2025, playing ten matches for SRH and taking six wickets, including three on debut against DC. SRH retained him ahead of IPL 2026, but he did not play a game, per Cricbuzz. Now he gets a fresh start at the team he announced himself against.
The BuildXI angle
Natarajan's 2020 to 2024 SRH years sit inside the draft era of 2008 to 2025 squads, so if you spin an SRH squad from those seasons, you know exactly which version of him you are getting.
This story comes from ESPNcricinfo's report on the trade. Read the full story on ESPNcricinfo. ESPNcricinfo.
Cricbuzz also reported the trade and the figures above. Cricbuzz.
BuildXI is a fan game, not affiliated with the IPL or the BCCI, where you run your own draft from IPL history: spin eleven real IPL squads from 2008 to 2025, pick one player from each and play fourteen league matches. The target is 14-0.