Top 5 players who shockingly remained unsold at IPL 2025 mega auction

IPL 2025 mega auction took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The two-day Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25. The event saw teams splurging money to make competitive squads ahead for the next season.

The record-breaking event saw Rishabh Pant becoming the most expensive player in IPL history. Pant was acquired by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a hefty price of INR 27 crores. Pant’s Indian teammate Shreyas Iyer is just behind, with his move to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for the price of INR 26.75 crores.

While the IPL 2025 mega auction brought hefty paychecks to many players, it was not the same for others. Some big names unexpectedly remained unsold during the mega-event.

In this article we will look at the top five players who shockingly remained unsold at IPL 2025 mega auction.

Five big players who shockingly remained unsold at IPL 2025 mega auction:

1. David Warner

Legendary Australian opener David Warner was without a doubt the biggest name to go unsold during the IPL 2025 mega auction. The 38-year-old southpaw carries a stellar IPL legacy with 6565 runs at a strike rate of 140. He has won the prestigious Orange Cap (most runs in the season) thrice in his IPL career.

Despite his achievements and status, Warner found no buyers at the mega auction at his base price of INR 2 crores. His age of 38 and a dip in form in the past year were the reasons for the left-hander going unsold.

2. Shardul Thakur

Seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur was another big name that went unsold during the IPL 2025 mega auction. Shardul entered the mega auction with a base price of INR 2 crores, but failed to attract any bids in the regular as well as accelerated rounds.

Shardul was part of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last season where he picked five wickets in 10 games. His absence from India’s squads and recent foot surgery may have played a role in teams overlooking him.

3. Prithvi Shaw

Once hailed as the next big thing in Indian cricket, Prithvi Shaw’s career graph has taken a massive dip.

Apart from going out of form, Shaw has also landed in controversies due to disciplinary issues. His fitness, too, has been brought up time and taken. Most recently, the opener was excluded from Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad for disciplinary and fitness reasons.

Shaw entered the auction with a base price of INR 75 lakhs, yet couldn’t find any buyer. Shaw scored 198 runs in eight games last season for Delhi at a strike rate of 164.

4. Daryl Mitchell

Star New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was one of the biggest name to remain unsold in the all-rounders category. Bought by CSK for a whopping 14 crores during the IPL 2024 auction, the Kiwi all-rounder was expected to be a hot commodity again this year.

However, Mitchell with his base price of INR 2 crores failed to find a team during the mega auction. While he has been in good form for New Zealand, his underwhelming performance for CSK last season played a big role in teams’ lack of interest in him.

5. Jonny Bairstow

English opener Jonny Bairstow is another big name that remained unsold during the IPL 2025 mega auction. What makes his exclusion shocking is the fact that he scored a blistering hundred last season to guide PBKS to a famous win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens.

Bairstow is one of the best hitters of spin bowling in white-ball cricket. Yet, the England keeper-batsman had not takers in the mega auction.

Jonny entered the IPL 2025 mega auction with a base price price of INR 2 crores and went unsold.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.