3 reasons why Shakib Al Hasan went unsold at IPL 2025 mega auction

Shakib Al Hasan last played in the IPL in 2021.

Shakib Al Hasan is hailed as Bangladesh’s greatest cricketer and his record at the international level speaks volumes of his quality and consistency. He is Bangladesh’s third-highest run-scorer with 14730 runs and their leading wicket-taker with 712 wickets; no other Bangladeshi bowler has 400 wickets.

His all-round abilities have earned him a lot of success and experience in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the biggest and most competitive T20 league in the world. Shakib has played in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) between 2011 and 2021. He was a significant contributor in KKR’s first two title wins in 2012 and 2014.

Shakib last played a match in the IPL in 2021, and the last time he was part of the tournament was in 2023 when he was bought by KKR.

The all-rounder had skipped the IPL 2024 season to manage his workload. He entered the IPL 2025 mega auction but went unsold. Shakib’s name wasn’t even brought up in the auction.

3 reasons why Shakib Al Hasan went unsold at IPL 2025 mega auction:

Retired from T20Is and age

When someone like David Warner didn’t find any buyers in the IPL 2025 mega auction – he is retired from international cricket, and is aged 38 – it’s not a surprise at all that Shakib Al Hasan too went unsold in the auction.

Shakib retired from tests and T20Is this year and will turn 38 next March. In the mega auction, the franchises tend to go after players who they feel would provide them service for three seasons at least. In Shakib’s case, it seems the franchises don’t have faith in him to have three good seasons, not least because of his fitness and injury issues in recent times.

Since the start of 2022, Bangladesh have played 132 international matches and Shakib has been part of 79 of them, missing a major chunk.

Poor T20I form

Another major reason that IPL franchises overlook experienced players is their poor or dipping form in recent times. That could be the case with Shakib as well.

In 2024, that is until his retirement, Shakib’s batting average in T20Is is only 16 across 12 games and he’s taken nine wickets in these matches. These numbers don’t stand out and in fact, would have gone against Shakib in the mega auction.

Impact player rule has affected all-rounders’ demands

The Impact Player rule in the IPL has significantly affected the demand of all-rounders in the mega auction. This rule has been a blessing to specialist bowlers as several of them bagged hefty sums in the auction, while it came as a hindrance for all-rounders who don’t make the XI on one speciality.

Teams can now pick an extra specialist batsman and bowler in their playing XII in the IPL. The all-rounder’s importance has decreased a lot in the IPL with the introduction of the Impact Player rule, especially spin-bowling overseas all-rounders like Shakib.

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