TNatarajan has made his return to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) after a two-season stint with Delhi Capitals (DC). The Orange Army traded Zeeshan Ansari to DCA and brought back Natarajan via trade before the IPL 2027 mini-auction.
Natajan, who joined DC for Rs 10.75 crore, will now earn Rs 5 crore. Zeeshan will continue to earn Rs 40 lakh. Aakash Chopra has shared his take on the trade and opined that SRH will be happier than DC.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “I feel Hyderabad. T Natarajan, of course, the last year wasn’t good, and I get that he is very expensive, but he has an upside. He has played for India, and he does very well when he starts delivering the yorker. He has been fighting injuries, but there is an upside to him. Hyderabad is very happy. They are saying they play Shivang Kumar or play without a spinner. They are saying, ‘We are absolutely fine.”
“They wouldn’t have batted an eyelid while letting Zeeshan go, and they would have immediately asked for T Natarajan. They have Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, but he (Natarajan) is mighty, especially since who knows whether Pat Cummins will come or not after playing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and it’s a World Cup year. I think Hyderabad will be happier of the two,” he added.
T Natarajan’s journey with SRH
Natarajan first joined SRH at his base price of Rs 40 lakh in the IPL 2018 mega-auction. He finally made his SRH debut in IPL 2020, played in UAE. The left-arm pacer shone in the season and scalped 16 wickets in as many matches.
Natarajan’s heroics for SRH earned him his maiden India call-up and he made his all-format debut on the Australia tour in 2020-21. He played the famous Gabba Test, which India won to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1.
only played two matches in IPL 2021. He was a regular for SRH till IPL 2024. SRH tried to re-sign Natarajan in the IPL 2025 mega-auction and were ready to spend Rs 4 crore on him. He joined DC for Rs 10.75 crore. He only took five wickets in 12 matches for the Delhi-based franchise across two seasons.