The IPL 2020 mid-season transfer window is now open. For the first time, even capped players can be traded. Here’s all you need to know about it.

The disillusioned players sitting around in the UAE will have cause for hope as the IPL 2020 has reached its halfway stage, meaning the mid-season transfer window will now come into effect.

Last year, the transfer window was a five-day period in which uncapped players could be loaned out by franchises to other teams based on the requirements and needs of all parties. The loaning team would receive a mutually agreed fee for the loan.

This year, however, the transfer window has become altogether more interesting after the IPL governing council permitted loan transfers of capped players as well, including both Indian and overseas players. That means there could potentially be a few high-profile names playing in other teams in the second half of the ongoing IPL 2020 season.

IPL 2020 mid-season transfer window: What’s the catch?

Only players who have played “less than two matches” are eligible for being loaned. Furthermore, this player will also not be able to play against his parent team in the return fixture.

IPL 2020 mid-season transfer window: The players who will look to move

Ajinkya Rahane, Delhi Capitals (DC)

Ajinkya Rahane may be among the highest run-scorers in IPL history, but since bringing an end to a long stint at Rajasthan Royals – he was traded ahead of the auctions in December 2019 – Rahane has played just the one match for DC, even as the team put together a run of wins to put themselves near the top of the table. In his one outing, Rahane struggled too – he played as No.3 against Mumbai Indians, and scored a run-a-ball 15 before being dismissed by Krunal Pandya.

The effort never stops! pic.twitter.com/5rLk6bSIBX

— Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) September 30, 2020

Which team can use him? Coincidentally, it’s his old team, Rajasthan Royals. RR began the season impressively, with Sanju Samson in great form, but since the Kerala batsman’s form tailed off, RR have struggled for performances from their Indian batsmen, with Robin Uthappa, Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia the others in the line-up. Rahane will be able to afford some solidity at the top, and RR, who had to experiment with Stokes as an opener, could use some of that.

Imran Tahir, Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Tahir was one of the big figures for CSK as they made the final last year – he picked an eye-catching 26 wickets in the tournament, and age was clearly no barrier. However, largely due to the four-player limit on overseas player, Tahir hasn’t yet played a match at IPL 2020 – CSK can’t afford to drop any of Watson, du Plessis, Curran and Bravo, the latter two being all-rounders.

Which team can use him? DC will be able to slot him in. They lost Amit Mishra early in the season to injury, and in Tahir, they have another leg-spinner who has experience playing in the IPL and brings proven wicket-taking skills. They will have to tweak their overseas combination, but with UAE pitches getting slower by the minute, they wouldn’t mind doing that.

Umesh Yadav, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

RCB seem a well-balanced outfit, with Isuru Udana, Navdeep Saini, Chris Morris, and Mohammad Siraj providing the pace stocks and balance the team have been looking for. Umesh has played two matches for RCB so far – he has conceded a combined 83 runs in those matches without taking a wicket. He will likely not get another chance after those returns.

Which team can use him? Sunrisers Hyderabad need an Indian pacer with experience, after losing their talisman Bhuvneshwar Kumar for an injury last week. Umesh isn’t exactly in the Bhuvneshwar mode – he can be expensive and doesn’t have the same control with swing – but he’s an Indian pacer who is on international pedigree. He’ll be a good option to have in the bench during business end of the season.

Chris Lynn, Mumbai Indians (MI)

Lynn was picked up for his base price of INR 2 crore by MI at the auction, and at the time, it was considered a decent purchase. That was down to the Australian having solid campaigns with Kolkata Knight Riders in the preceding two years, scoring 405 and 491 runs in 2019 and 2018 respectively. However, a sharp downturn in form in the year since has left him warming the benches at MI, especially with Quinton de Kock in the irrepressible form he is in.

Which team can use him? With Glenn Maxwell not entirely convincing this season, there is logic in Kings XI Punjab inquiring about Lynn, even if they have Chis Gayle in the squad. Lynn is still young, and seems to be a confidence player – one good knock and he could feature in bowlers’ nightmares again. KXIP, who need some batting depth, might just be the place for him.

🗣 @henrygayle's special message for you fans 😍

How does it feel? 👇🏻#SaddaPunjab #IPL2020 #KXIP pic.twitter.com/HcZ6QlV4B6

— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) October 13, 2020

Deepak Hooda, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)

Deepak Hooda is an experienced campaigner in the IPL, and has the ability to come in lower down the order and give it a good thwacking. He has yet to feature for KXIP this season, though, despite possessing a mean off-spin (which could prove handy in slow UAE tracks), and he might not be averse to looking out for another team to send everyone a reminder of his abilities.

Which team can use him? RR is where Hooda played his first IPL campaign, before moving on to SRH, and it might be that RR is where he’ll find favour again. RR have struggled for Indian options in the middle order – Tewatia aside, no one has really been consistent – and if Hooda can get straight in there and put a few away, RR will consider it a good bit of business.

David Miller, Rajasthan Royals (RR)

With Ben Stokes making a return to RR, all of their overseas players have untouchable status – it means David Miller, a player with a proven IPL pedigree, is at best a back-up option. His only appearance so far came early in the tournament, when RR were without both Jos Buttler and Stokes. His expectations of match action, therefore, won’t be much.

Which team can use him? With the pitches getting slower in the UAE, SRH might rue their lack of explosiveness in the middle order. Their hopes for firepower currently reside on the young shoulders of Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad. They’ll find the option of having a readymade, proven finisher like Miller irresistible. KXIP can be potential suitors as well with Glenn Maxwell struggling to find form.

Pawan Negi, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Negi has been a utility player at best since he joined RCB, although he did have a great season in 2017, when he picked 16 wickets and scored 144 runs to signal what seemed a breakthrough year. It hasn’t panned out that way. In nine matches over the last two years, Negi has scored 11 runs and picked four wickets. He hasn’t been given a chance to play yet this season, and as far as he is concerned, a move away will seem enticing.

Which team can use him? Negi is the archetypal T20 all-rounder, with his canny left-arm spin and big-hitting batting abilities. A return to CSK, where he first started out, could be tempting, given he offers them something Kedar Jadhav has so far failed to – explosiveness.

IPL 2020 mid-season transfer window – other likely moves:

Chris Green (KKR) – KXIP, DC

Billy Stanlake (SRH) – RCB

Mitchell Santner (CSK) – DC, KXIP