New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction concluded, making a number of players crorepatis during the two-day event that took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. However, many players who registered themselves for the auction, found no teams bidding for them in the arena and ultimately remained unsold. Several big names, who have had decent IPL experience and have been good with their performances, went unsold.
This year, records tumbled as the ten franchises combined to spend a staggering Rs. 639.15 crore on 182 players. This made it the most money spent in an auction in the tournament’s history as Rishabh Pant emerged as the most expensive pick at Rs. 27 crore. Seeing these players up for bidding would have surely left the players unsold baffled and perplexed.
David Warner, who recently retired from international cricket, was part of the capped batters set and went up for bidding on Day 1 itself. However, he attracted no bids and remained unsold for the day. His name came up on Day 2 as all the team were given a chance to reconsider their thoughts about the Aussie southpaw but the teams remained firm with their choice of not bidding for him.
Another shocking player that went unsold was Shardul Thakur, who is a handy all-rounder and can chip in anytime, giving breakthroughs at crucial moments and can even bat for any team down the order. Thakur’s successful IPL stints with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are well-versed but the 33-year-old attracted no bids at the mega auction, going unsold.
Top 5 players who went unsold in IPL 2025 mega auction
1. David Warner
Warner has been one of the most successful overseas batsmen in the IPL. He debuted in the league with Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) and stayed with them until the 2013 season. He moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014 and even captained them to a title victory in 2016. He remained at SRH till 2021 and moved back to Delhi in 2022, playing the 2023 and 2024 season as well. Being open to playing league cricket, he was expected to be picked but went unsold.
2. Shardul Thakur
Thakur has been one of the vital cogs of Indian cricket across formats and it is only recently that he has been a miss from the national setup. Although regularly playing domestic cricket, the flamboyant all-rounder was expected to attract a bid but that couldn’t be the case. His demand in the IPL can be known by the fact that he has played for so many IPL teams, starting with Punjab in 2015-16. He moved to now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017 followed by CSK from 2018 to 2021. He played for DC in 2022 and for KKR in 2023 before returning to CSK in 2024.
3. Jonny Bairstow
It seems the English wicketkeeper batter is losing his charm, not only from the national setup but from league cricket as well. He hasn’t been around lately and if he has, then a series of poor performances has followed. Being a great wicketkeeper with explosive batting skillset, Bairstow didn’t attract any bid from the franchises, having played for SRH and PBKS in the past years.
4. Daryl Mitchell
Mitchell’s case was shocking due to the fact that he was bought by CSK for a massive Rs 14 crore at the IPL 2024 mini-auction. Although he has been one of New Zealand’s best performers across formats in recent times, he couldn’t find any home for himself for IPL 2025. He came with a base price of Rs. 2 crore but the teams hesitated too much to raise the paddle for him. He debuted in the IPL in 2022 with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and moved to CSK in 2024.
5. Kane Williamson
Much like his trans-Tasmanian rival Steven Smith, even Williamson went unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Williamson was with SRH from 2015 to 2022, debuting in the IPL with them and even leading them in a few seasons. He moved to the new franchise Gujarat Titans for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Being a decent batter who can play handful knocks for any team, Williamson was expected to be bought due to his class but as it turned out, no team was looking for that during the two-day event.
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David Warner and Shardul Thakur were among the top players shocking the IPL fraternity as they went unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Here’s a look at the top five names who went unsold. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
