Despite submitting the final retention list on January 20, Indian Premier League (IPL) teams can still do trades between themselves. Robin Uthappa is the first high profile trade to take place between two teams for IPL 2021. Uthappa has signed a deal to join Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a straight cash deal.
Uthappa had joined Royals last season for Rs 3 crores after enjoying a stellar career at Kolkata Knight Riders. He will bring a wealth of experience at CSK, but his form last season makes this deal a risky move for the Chennai based franchise.
MS Dhoni’s men endured the worst IPL campaign in the team’s history last year when they didn’t qualify for knockouts for the first time and finished bottom of the league table. There was likely to be a big overhaul ahead of the next campaign, but they decided to stick with MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina for at least one more season.
Apart from keeping those two senior players, CSK decided to part ways with numerous senior players for the new season. Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav, and Murali Vijay were released, so CSK needed to add more experience to the team.
Uthappa is likely to provide that experience. He is likely to open for CSK next season, a position where he has thrived in the Indian conditions for so many campaigns. He was a vital player for Kolkata Knight riders during the first half of last decades when they won two IPL titles in a row.
Courtesy of this trade deal, Rajasthan Royals will have a much bigger purse to spend during the auction in February. They currently have Rs 37.85 crores to spend, while CSK’s purse has been reduced to Rs 17.9 crores after completing this deal.
Apart from Uthappa, Daniel Sams, and Harshal Patel that have been traded in IPL this year. Both players have joined Royal Challengers Bangalore from Delhi Daredevils in a straight cash deal. More moves are likely to happen in the coming days as the deadline day is just 15 days away.