Natarajan, who will turn 36 during IPL 2027, played two seasons for DC, who bought him for INR 10.75 crore (US$ 1.1 million approx.) at the IPL 2025 mega auction. He will now join SRH at a revised fee of INR 5 crore, while Ansari will move to DC at his existing fee of INR 40 lakh. That means, as part of the trade, DC will have INR 10.35 crore added to their purse, while SRH will have INR 4.6 crore deducted from their purse.
While Natarajan missed a major chunk of the 2025 season due to injury, he played ten matches for DC in 2026, picking up five wickets at an economy of 11.18. Those numbers fail to capture Natarajan’s skillset, built around his pinpoint yorkers, deceptive slower balls, and effective bouncer, qualities that made him a success during his first stint with SRH, spanning five seasons from 2020 to 2024.
Ansari, meanwhile, had a good debut season with SRH in IPL 2026. He played ten matches for them, picking up six wickets with best returns of 3 for 42. While his economy of 9.84 is not a standout, he showed promise through the season.
