T Natarajan is back at Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2027, with Delhi Capitals taking legspinner Zeeshan Ansari in return, the IPL announced on Wednesday (October 14).

Natarajan, a Tamil Nadu left-arm pacer, returns to his former franchise on a revised INR 5 crore fee. That sits well below the INR 10.75 crore Delhi Capitals paid for him at the IPL 2025 mega auction, a pay cut of about 53.49%. Ansari, an Uttar Pradesh legspinner, moves at his current INR 40 lakh fee. The trade adds INR 10.35 crore to the Capitals’ purse and takes INR 4.6 crore off SRH’s.

Natarajan returns to the franchise he represented across five seasons between 2020 and 2024. He took 65 wickets across 55 innings in that stint at an economy of 8.82. His best year came in 2024, when he claimed 19 wickets, more than any other SRH bowler that season, and helped the side reach the final. HT records those 19 wickets as coming in 14 matches at an average of 24.47, in a campaign that ended with Kolkata Knight Riders beating SRH in the final.

It was at SRH that he won his India cap and played four T20Is. His yorkers, slower balls and bouncers were the tools behind that first-stint success. Injuries have forced him out for long spells, and he sat out much of the 2025 season.

Delhi Capitals bought him in 2025 to sharpen their bowling at the death, but a fractured collarbone limited him to two matches in his first season. He returned for ten matches in 2026, taking five wickets, conceding 11.18 an over, at an average of 71.20.

Ansari played ten matches for SRH and picked up six wickets, with a best of 3 for 42 and an economy of 9.84. That 3 for 42 came on debut against the Capitals. His domestic returns have been stronger. He took 21 wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, which earned him an India A call-up for the tour of Sri Lanka. He also picked up 24 wickets in the 2024 UP T20 League and 15 in the 2025 edition.

Ansari joins a Capitals spin group where Axar Patel and Vipraj Nigam are already in place, and will contend for the lead spinner’s role after Kuldeep Yadav’s move to Lucknow Super Giants. Kuldeep made 65 appearances for the Capitals and took 72 wickets, leaving them short of wrist-spin.

This is Delhi Capitals’ second trade since the 2026 season. They earlier sent Kuldeep to Lucknow in exchange for Rishabh Pant, who moved for a revised INR 15 crore after becoming the tournament’s most expensive buy at INR 27 crore in the 2025 auction.

The IPL trade window has been open since the 2026 season ended and closes a week before the 2027 mini-auction. The retention deadline is November 15, and the 2027 auction will be held in Goa in mid-December.