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The IPL 2025 mega auction concluded as the two days in Jeddah witnessed intense bidding wars, some tactical brilliance and surprise calls made by the 10 franchises. The IPL teams spent a whopping Rs 639.15 crore on signing 182 players, which included 62 overseas stars. Rishabh Pant bagged Rs 27 crore deal with Lucknow Super Giants to become the most expensive player in IPL auction history and 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest player to be sold at auction with Rs 1.10 crore deal with Rajasthan Royals headlined the two days.
However, there were certain star players who failed to draw any bids and went unsold in the auction. It could be the end of the road for many of the unsold players as far as the IPL is concerned. Surprisingly, several familiar faces who have been IPL regulars in recent seasons went unsold during the two-day auction. High base prices proved a hurdle for some, as teams focused on filling their squads toward the end of Day 2. Others, who lacked a reputation as specialists in the T20 format, were also overlooked.
IPL Auction: Biggers gainers and losers
Here is how a playing XI from the unsold category could look like.
David Warner
It was the end of an era when David Warner, an IPL veteran’s name came up and he could not attract any bids. Warner announced his retirement across the formats earlier this year for Australia, but continued playing league cricket. Warner was not retained by the Delhi Capitals ahead of auction and set his base price at Rs 2 crore. After going unsold in first round, He did not even return for the accelerated round in Jeddah. Warner has proven captaincy credentials, having led SRH to an IPL title win in 2016. He is also the fourth highest run scorer in the history of the tournament with 6565 runs to his name. He could open and be the captain of the side.
Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction and it came in as a shock. The Delhi Capitals opener was not retained by the franchise, as 6-year association with DC came to an end. The explosive batter had set his base price at Rs 75 lakh only but no franchises showed interest in him. Once touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, Shaw’s career has spiraled in downward direction. In 79 IPL matches, Shaw scored 1892 runs at a strike-rate of 147.47.
IPL Auction: Major talking points | Top unsold players
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal was a handy top-order batter but went sold in auction with base price at Rs 1 crore. The India batter did not get many opportunities after leaving Punjab Kings ahead of IPL 2022. He was associated with the SunRisers Hyderabad for the last two seasons and got to play only 4 matches in IPL 2024.
Jonny Bairstow
England’s wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow has proven to be a destructive in IPL with his aggressive style of batting. Although Bairstow has flourished as opener, he could also be slotted in at No. 4 and can contribute with his wicket-keeping for the team. Bairstow has played 50 matches in the IPL for SRH and PBKS and plundered 1589 runs at a strike-rate of 144.45.
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan was unlucky to have missed out on an IPL deal despite his base price of Rs 50 lakh and a breakthrough season in red ball cricket for India. Sarfaraz’s last IPL appearance was in 2023 for Delhi Capitals. The Mumbai batter began his IPL career with RCB in 2015 but couldn’t make a mark.
Sikander Raza
The Zimbabwe captain has built a strong reputation as a versatile T20 player on the global stage. He can be a reliable middle-order batter and can anchor innings when needed and shift gears to deliver powerful hits, particularly over straight boundaries. He also bowls clever off-spin and occasionally surprises batters with his carrom ball variation. Raza’s extensive experience across various global leagues shows his adaptability to different conditions, which makes him a valuable asset in any lineup.
Shardul Thakur
A pace bowling all-rounder is considered as a valuable asset for the team. However, Shardul Thakur’s diminishing prowess in both the departments led to him going unsold in the auction after he set his base price at Rs 2 crore. He failed to impress in the last outing for Chennai Super Kings as he picked only five wickets in 9 matches in IPL 2024. With the introduction of the Impact Player Rule, his ability to finish games was also not put to much use.
Piyush Chawla
Piyush Chawla has been one of the greatest spinners in IPL history. The 35-year-old boasts of 192 wickets in 192 games in the IPL. He has been leading the spin-attack of the Mumbai Indians in the last two years. He had set his base price at Rs 50 lakh, but none of the franchises were interested in bidding for him. Hence, this could be the end of the road for the IPL veteran in the cash-rich league.
Mustafizur Rehman
Mustafizur Rahman failed to attract any bids in the IPL auction as he was among the many Bangladesh players who went unsold in the IPL. Mustafizur has proven his worth with contributions in death overs and his ability to bowl slower ones and yorkers. Mustafizur was not having the best of IPL outings lately until last year when he played for CSK. The speedster picked up 14 wickets in just 9 matches at an average of 14.71. His tournament was cut short due to national commitment for Bangladesh.
Navdeep Saini
Navdeep Saini, who has been one of India’s fastest bowlers went unsold at auction with base price of Rs 75 lakh. His career has been marred by injuries and the speedster also missed the IPL 2024 due to same. Despite enjoying a good domestic season so far, no franchise showed interest in him. In 32 matches, Navdeep has 23 wickets at an economy rate of 8.88.
Umesh Yadav
It could truly be the end of road for Umesh Yadav in IPL as no franchise bid for the veteran India pacer. Having made his IPL debut in 2010, Umesh was associated with Gujarat Titans in the last season. He played seven matches and managed to pick 8 wickets for Gujarat. In 148 matches, Umesh picked 144 wickets at an economy rate of 8.45.
David Warner (C)
Prithvi Shaw
Mayank Agarwal
Jonny Bairstow (Wk)
Sarfaraz Khan
Sikander Raza
Shardul Thakur
Piyush Chawla
Umesh Yadav
Navdeep Saini
Mustafizur Rahman
Impact player- Mayank Dagar