Ranking 5 best trades of all time in IPL history

4. KL Rahul – SRH to RCB ahead of IPL 2016

The 2015 IPL season was a forgettable one for KL Rahul. The talented right hander could score just 142 runs in the entire season. Turning out for the Sunrisers Hyderabad side, he averaged just 28.40, and could not even score a single half century in the 2015 edition. Consequently, he was traded by the franchise, with the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore pouching the right-hander.

Rahul proved that the move undertaken by Bangalore was indeed a masterstroke. The right-hander scored close to 400 runs (397 to be precise) in the 2016 IPL edition, including 4 half-centuries and averaged 44.11. What made Rahul an asset that season was the fact that he scored his runs at an imposing strike rate of 146.49. Rahul missed the 2017 IPL season due to injury, and the Bangalore side decided against retaining him ahead of the 2018 IPL edition.

Rahul was bought by the Kings XI Punjab side for an astronomical sum of INR 11 Crore. Since then, Rahul has offered his services for the Punjab outfit. In fact, in the year 2020, the Indian batsman was even elevated to the role of captaincy. Even though Rahul won the Orange Cap in the 13th edition of the IPL by scoring a whopping 670 runs, he could not inspire his side to the playoffs. Both Rahul and the Punjab side would be hoping that they lift their maiden IPL title in 2021.