The IPL mega auctions concluded not so long ago, with each of the 10 franchises building a team for the next IPL cycle. A total of 182 players were brought by the teams in all, cumulatively spending a whopping INR 639.15 crore to acquire their services. As many as 574 players were listed for the auctions to fill the 204 remaining slots post-retention.
Hence, a majority of the cricketers who were on the list were expected to go unsold, and understandably so, since it is the nature of the auctions. But there were a few surprising players who were expected to find teams at the event but remained unsold. Here we will list the 5 surprising names who didn’t find a team in IPL 2025 auctions.
Shardul Thakur
Indian pacers have always been in demand when it comes to the IPL auctions, and that is why Thakur going unsold left many surprised. Shardul, who represented India at the highest level and that too successfully, was expected to have bidders, especially given the fact that he was in demand in the previous mega auction. However, the all-rounder went unsold, and the reason could be his underwhelming returns, picking just 12 wickets in 20 games across the last 2 seasons.
Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw isn’t having the best of times as of late, first getting dropped from his state side in the Ranji Trophy and then going unsold at the 2025 IPL auctions. Shaw, who has been part of the Delhi Capitals in IPL since making his debut in 2018, has played 79 games, scoring 1892 runs. Largely opening the innings, the right-hander averages a mere 23.94, and his inconsistencies meant he played just 16 games in the last two seasons. Eventually, the 25-year-old was not retained by the franchise.
Being a top-order Indian batter, Shaw was expected to be picked at the auctions, and even at a base price of 75 lakh, the talented player didn’t find any takers, remaining unsold.
David Warner
Arguably the greatest overseas player in IPL history, David Warner went shockingly unsold at the mega auctions. The left-hander, who recently retired from all formats of international cricket, kept himself available in a league where he is the fourth-highest run-getter and the highest among non-Indian batters. However, despite coming twice at the auctions, the legendary IPL batter found no interest from any of the teams, including the Delhi Capitals, where he tried his trade for the last three seasons.
Though 2024 didn’t go well for him (168 in 8 innings at 21), Warner scored 948 runs in the preceding two seasons put together. Hence it was quite a surprise that one of the best in IPL failed to get any takers.
Chetan Sakariya
The pacer was once a hot commodity owing to his skill as a left-arm seamer, but his stocks have dwindled in recent years. Coming relatively late at the 2025 auctions, Sakariya couldn’t get interest from any of the 10 franchises in the room and eventually went unsold.
The 26-year-old from Gujarat, who last played for the Delhi Capitals in the 2023 season, will not add to the 19 IPL caps for the second season running, and it is shocking given his splendid record. He has picked up 65 wickets in just 45 T20 innings at a decent ER of 7.69. However, Sakariya has featured in just a solitary competitive game across different formats in 2024, which could be one of the factors for him being unsold.
Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow, one of the most destructive batters on his day, failed to garner interest from any of the franchises. The English wicketkeeper batter had a mixed bag in terms of his IPL career, as he started his first three seasons on a high note with SRH before having a mediocre outing representing Punjab Kings in the last 2 seasons.
In all, Bairstow made 1589 runs at a strike rate of 144.54 in just 50 IPL innings, with a couple of centuries to his name. Yes, he is at the fag end of his career, but the 35-year-old has shown he can still decimate bowling attacks, and that is why it was surprising to see none of the teams bidding for him at the auctions.
