Defending champions Gujarat Titans have traded New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson and Afghan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz to Kolkata Knight Riders for the forthcoming Indian Premier League season.

The IPL auction for the 2023 season is scheduled to be held on December 23 in Kochi. The teams will use their purse remaining from the previous auction as well as the value of the players released to recruit new members. The franchises have also been given an additional Rs 5 crore to spend at the auction.

The Titans had bought Ferguson for Rs 10 crore at the IPL mega auction earlier this year. The speedster played 13 matches for the side and picked 12 wickets that included a four-wicket haul.

Ferguson previously represented the Knights, the two-time champions, from 2019 to2021.

Gurbaz, on the other hand, was included in the Gujarat Titans squad in the previous edition as a replacement for England batter Jason Roy, but the 20-year-old did not play any game.