The IPL auction is one of the most unpredictable events in cricket. Some players become million-dollar buys, while others go unsold despite big reputations. For cricketers, going unsold can feel disappointing, but it is never the end of their career. Many bounce back through domestic cricket or as mid-season replacements. The 2025 mega auction in Jeddah showed the same trend. Big names, including former captains and international stars, missed out, while others earned record deals. This is what makes the IPL the most competitive league in the world. In this blog, we explore the highs, lows, and unsold stars of IPL 2025. Let’s dive into the IPL 2025 Unsold Players: Big Names That Missed Out This Season.
IPL 2025 Auction Recap: The Highs and the Lows
How the Auction Played Out This Year
For the IPL auction, every IPL side has a 120 INR purse, which they can use to buy a player. No team can exceed that limit. All teams must create their sides from this specific purse. After three years, IPL mega suction occurs. In the IPL mega-auction, retaining players becomes more challenging for teams as they must release more players. The IPL 2025 mega auction was held from November 24 to 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was the very first time that the IPL auction was held in Saudi Arabia.
The IPL 2025 auction was a mega auction, in which many players shuffled their previous sides. However, many sides have massive purses and need quality players for their sides. Therefore, in the IPL 2025 mega auction, the record for the highest bid in an IPL auction was broken. Rishabh Pant left the Delhi Capitals to join the Lucknow Super Giants for 27 Crores INR. It is the highest bid ever for any player in an IPL auction. IPL 2025 IPL mega auction’s trend was mostly towards Indian players. Therefore, Shreyas Iyer became the second most expensive player in the IPL auction with ₹ 26.75 crore. Iyer shifted from the Kolkata Knight Riders to the Punjab Kings.
Why Some Players Go Unsold in IPL Auctions
| Player | Nationality | Recent IPL Teams Played For (up to 2024) |
| Shardul Thakur | India | CSK, DC,LSG (Replacement 2025) |
| Mayank Agarwal | India | PBKS,SRH, RCB (2025 replacement) |
| Umesh Yadav | India | DC, KKR, RCB, GT (2024) |
| Piyush Chawla | India | KKR, MI, CSK |
| Prithvi Shaw | India | DC (2018–2024) |
| Sarfaraz Khan | India | DC, RCB |
| David Warner | Australia | DC, SRH |
| Kane Williamson | New Zealand | SRH, GT |
| Jonny Bairstow | England | SRH, PBKS,MI( replacement in 2025) |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Afghanistan | PBKS, RR |
| Steve Smith | Australia | RCB, KTK, PWI,RR,DC |
| Chris Jordan | England | RCB, SRH, PBKS, CSK |
| Sikandar Raza | Zimbabwe | PBKS |
These are the top players who went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction. Many of them got picked as replacements. But the majority of players remained unsold and unpicked throughout the season. David Warner, who became the third overseas captain to win the IPL title in IPL 2016, remained unsold in IPL 2025. Just like that, Kane Williamson, who took SRH to the 2018 IPL final, remained unsold. Steve Smith, who took RPS to the IPL 2017 final, remained unsold in the IPL 2025 auction.
Additionally, many top Indian talents remained unsold in the IPL. Prithvi Shaw, who was brilliant after the 2018 U-19 World Cup triumph as captain. However, his form and fitness led to him being unsold in the IPL 2025 auction. Sarfaraz Khan, who showed great performances for the Indian side, went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction. Many players, including Jonny Bairstow, Mayank Agarwal, and Shardul Thakur, were selected as replacements for various sides.
Full List of Unsold Players in IPL 2025
Complete Unsold Player List (with Base Price)
| Player Name | Role | Base Price |
| Shivalik Sharma | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Murugan Ashwin | Bowler | ₹30 L |
| Tanush Kotian | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Prince Choudhary | Bowler | ₹30 L |
| Yash Dabas | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Digvijay Deshmukh | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Umang Kumar | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Sanjay Yadav | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Ripal Patel | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Vijay Kumar | Bowler | ₹30 L |
| Atit Sheth | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Anshuman Hooda | Bowler | ₹30 L |
| Shiva Singh | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Raj Limbani | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Abdul Basith | All-rounder | ₹30 L |
| Sandeep Warrier | Bowler | ₹75 L |
Foreign Players List
| Player Name | Role | Base Price | Last IPL Team |
| David Warner | Batsman | ₹2 cr | – (SRH/DC) |
| Jonny Bairstow | WK-Batsman | ₹2 cr | – (SRHPBKS) |
| Kane Williamson | Batsman | ₹2 cr | – (SRH/GT) |
| Mustafizur Rahman | All-rounder (Bangladesh) | ₹0.25 cr | – CSK |
| Chris Jordan | Bowler (Death specialist) | ₹2 cr | RCB, PBKS, CSK |
| Kyle Jamieson | Bowler | ₹1.5 cr | RCB |
| Nathan Smith | All-rounder | ₹1 cr | – |
| Roston Chase | All-rounder | ₹75 L | – |
| Brandon McMullen | All-rounder | ₹30 L | – |
| Dwaine Pretorius | All-rounder | ₹75 L | – |
These are the prominent names who went unsold in the IPL auction despite giving excellent performances in recent years. The IPL 2025 auction proved to be a money bank for some players, but more players went unsold. Many high-quality Indian domestic players went unsold in IPL 2025 due to a lack of interest from franchises.
Biggest Names Who Went Unsold
There were quality foreign players, such as David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Steve Smith, who went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction. These players took their sides to the IPL finals as captains, while Warner lifted the title as captain of the IPL in 2016. However, the interest and demand for IPL cricket have changed, which is why these players went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction. David Warner is the highest overseas run scorer in IPL history with 6565 runs. His crucial knocks for SRH made this side prominent in the IPL points tables from 2015 to 2020.
However, due to a lack of performance, David Warner was dropped from the squad and picked up by the Delhi Capitals. However, in Capitals, his performances were not up to the mark, which is why he was unpicked in the 2025 IPL auction. Steve Smith and Kane Williamson were both picked for the same reasons. Both batters have a lower strike rate, which is unacceptable in the IPL. Therefore, no team showed interest in picking these two players in the IPL 2025 auction. However, there is an outside chance that these players can make a comeback in the next IPL season, just as Jonny Bairstow did. Bairstow went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction and was later acquired as a replacement by the Mumbai Indians.
Young Talents Who Missed Out This Year
There is a massive list of young unsold players who were not picked by IPL sides. One of the prominent names is Prithvi Shaw, who was once named the next Sachin Tendulkar of Indian cricket. His technique and skills made him a promising young talent for the future. However, due to a lack of discipline and poor performance, Shaw was unpicked in the IPL 2025 auction.
Navdeep Saini has shown brilliant performances for RCB and RR in recent years. Due to his brilliant performances, he was also selected in the Indian white-ball and test squads. However, due to a lack of performances and injuries, he was left unpicked in the IPL 2025 auction. Sarfaraz Khan, another of India’s top talents, missed IPL 2025 because no team showed interest in picking him. Sarfaraz has played for RCB, PBKS, and DC and has given crucial performances in the middle order.
Kartik Tyagi is another promising young talent who was not picked in the IPL 2025 auction. Playing for GT and RR, Kartik has taken 15 wickets. His impressive pace bowling makes him capable of becoming one of India’s top fast bowlers in the future. Yash Dhull, who was India’s captain in the U-19 World Cup 2020. Due to his impressive performances in the Tournament, Yash was picked by DC. But due to limited opportunities and performances, Yash went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction.
What’s Next for These Unsold Players?
Potential Mid-Season Call-Ups
IPL is a so fast-paced Tournament that every side needs immediate results. If a player does not perform well over a specific period, they can be dropped from the squad. Therefore, it presents a significant challenge for both young and experienced players to perform consistently. Additionally, IPL sides prioritise selecting players who have recently performed well on Indian pitches in the T20 format.
However, many players who were not selected in the IPL auction still have an outside chance of being selected as a replacement. Many players have delivered outstanding performances while serving as replacements. In IPL 2025, Mayank Agarwal was selected as a replacement for RCB. He played in the final and scored 24 runs on 18 balls. Jonny Bairstow got selected by MI for the Playoffs. Bairstow secured a crucial role for MI in the playoffs and the final group games, helping MI reach the Eliminator.
There are many other examples of players who came as replacements for IPL sides and went on to become prominent names for the next couple of seasons. Shardul Thakur is another good example who came as a replacement for LSG in IPL 2025. As a replacement, Thakur became the joint-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025, taking 13 wickets. Most young players have to focus on hard work and improving their skills to create opportunities for selection in the next IPL season.
Many domestic tournaments are held throughout India, providing a significant opportunity for these players to attract the attention of selectors. To be selected in the IPL, performance is the most crucial element. If a player is selected in the IPL and performs well, they have a significant chance of being selected for the Indian national side.
Domestic and Overseas Opportunities
Indian active players have mostly not participated in worldwide franchise leagues. Therefore, the player has a significant chance of being selected through the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This Tournament is the biggest T20 tournament in India after IPL. It includes only Indian players, which creates a massive opportunity for them to perform and makes their journey smoother to secure a spot in the IPL. Other than the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, many state-level T20 tournament is a massive opportunity for players to perform. Coaches and selectors of IPL sides have a close eye on these tournaments to select quality players for their side. One prominent example is Shreyas Iyer. Shreyas Iyer performed exceptionally well in Indian domestic tournaments and became the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history. The performances in the domestic circuit are massive for players to get an outside chance in the IPL.
For a foreign player, a massive opportunity to be selected is to perform well in their respective countries’ league. Just SA20, all six teams are child franchises of IPL franchises. So, if a player performs well in the SA20, they have a significant chance of being selected in the IPL as well. Prominent names are Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch. Both players featured in the MI Cape Town team in the SA20, which paved the way for them to be selected by the Mumbai Indians for IPL 2025.
Additionally, if a player with impressive technique and solid power-hitting becomes eye-catching to IPL sides, Phil Salt is one of them. He played for KKR in IPL 2024 and played a crucial role in helping KKR win its third title. In IPL 2025, Phil Salt was picked by RCB and played a vital role in assisting RCB to win the IPL trophy after an 18-year wait. Another massive opportunity to get glorified in the IPL auction is to perform well against India in any international game. Travis Head, who scored a hundred against India in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final, got picked by SRH for IPL 2024.
Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc both set the record for the most expensive player in the IPL 2024 auction. Both Players showed impressive performances against India in the Cricket World Cup 2023. Therefore, it is a significant opportunity for a player to be noticed by IPL sides if they perform exceptionally well against India in international cricket.
Kyle Jamieson is another good example to explain this theory. Kyle took seven wickets for New Zealand in the 2021 WTC final, which included the important wicket of Virat Kohli in both innings. For this performance, Kyle Jamieson became 2nd the second-most-expensive buy in the IPL 2021 auction. For foreign players to be selected in the IPL auction, the most crucial aspect is adapting to the modern format of T20 cricket. Additionally, if the player has the chance to play against India, they should take full advantage of that opportunity.
