A trade deal was completed on Thursday between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. CSK sent Nathan Ellis and Khaleel Ahmed to SRH. In return, CSK got Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards.
Former SRH batter Tirumalasetti Suman shared his thoughts on the deal. He said SRH likely made the move because Pat Cummins may not be available for the IPL. Suman put Cummins’ chances at “50-50”. He said that is why filling that slot became important. He also said none of the four players had a strong IPL last season.
But the trade still made sense because of each team’s needs. He pointed out what Khaleel and Ellis bring. Khaleel can bowl three overs with the new ball in the powerplay. Ellis is a strong death-overs bowler. He can also bowl in the middle overs. His back-of-the-hand slower ball is very good.
Livingstone joins CSK at a lower fee of Rs 6 crore. SRH had originally bought him for Rs 13 crore. Edwards joins CSK at his existing fee of Rs 3 crore. SRH signed him before he played for Australia. But he missed IPL 2026 because of a foot injury.
SRH gets Khaleel at his existing fee of Rs 4.8 crore. He played for SRH from 2018 to 2021. He returns after a good IPL 2025 with CSK, where he took 15 wickets in 14 matches. He played five games for CSK in IPL 2026 before a right quadriceps injury ended his season. Ellis joins SRH at his existing fee of Rs 2 crore. He is known for his variations and his work in the death overs.
Pat Cummins’ SRH Captaincy: How He Transformed Hyderabad in IPL 2026
Pat Cummins stands out in the IPL for two reasons. He is the only overseas captain in IPL 2026. He is also the only fast-bowling captain. He has led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the playoffs for the second time in three years. Only five other overseas captains have done it more than once. They are Adam Gilchrist, Steven Smith, David Warner, Kane Williamson and Faf du Plessis.
Before SRH, Cummins had never captained a top-flight T20 team. It looked like a gamble. But he had already captained Australia to the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup titles in 2023. The IPL brings a different kind of pressure. Brendon McCullum let it affect his batting at Kolkata. Ricky Ponting gave up the Mumbai captaincy in 2013 after a bad run with the bat.
Under Cummins and Ishan Kishan, who captained when Cummins was injured at the start of the season, SRH have had clear roles. When Cummins returned, SRH won five of seven matches to reach the playoffs. They narrowly missed a top-two spot on net run rate. At the top, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma and Kishan kept scoring. Heinrich Klaasen, despite retiring from international cricket, made over 600 runs.
With the ball, Cummins led by example in IPL 2026. He did not play a single T20 game between IPL 2025 and 2026. In his first game back against the Rajasthan Royals, he bowled an inch-perfect yorker that tailed in late to hit Riyan Parag’s off stump. His figures were 4-0-27-1 on a flat Jaipur pitch, where 228 for 6 met 229 for 5. Cummins has been more dangerous in the middle overs, between overs 7 and 15. His economy rate of 5.66 in that phase was the best in IPL 2026 among bowlers who have bowled at least 50 balls.
Cummins has also won over Hyderabad. The crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium sang his name and wished him a happy birthday. Instagram reels of him with his son on an escalator at Inorbit mall in Hyderabad got viral. Warner was the last overseas captain to have a similar effect on a home crowd in the IPL. His fame peaked when he led SRH to the title in 2016 after coming through the Eliminator.
FAQs
Q. Which four players were involved in the CSK-SRH trade?
A. CSK sent Nathan Ellis and Khaleel Ahmed to SRH for Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards.
Q. How much will Liam Livingstone earn at CSK?
A. Livingstone will join CSK for Rs 6 crore, down from his previous fee of Rs 13 crore.
Q. How many wickets did Khaleel Ahmed take in IPL 2025?
A. Khaleel Ahmed took 15 wickets in 14 matches for CSK.
Q. What was Pat Cummins’ economy rate in the middle overs of IPL 2026?
A. Cummins recorded an economy rate of 5.66 between overs 7 and 15.
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