IPL Auction 2025: Top 5 players that went unsold in Jeddah

Indian Premier League Mega Auction ended on Monday with all 10 teams completing their squads. 577 players were shortlisted for the 2-day event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ,more than Rs. 600 crore spent with several players earning a huge paycheque. Rishabh Pant became the most expensive buy in the history of the IPL after being sold to Lucknow Super Giants for a whopping fee of INR 27 crore, followed by Shreyas Iyer who joined Punjab kings for INR 26.75 crore. However, some key players remained unsold during the mega auction. Lets take a look at these cricketers who were not able to fetch a contract for themselves

1. David Warner: The Former Australian cricketer has been one of the star players of the IPL over the years and it is a big surprise that he remained unsold. Warner led Sunrisers Hyderabad to victory in IPL 2016 and is among the top run getters in Tournament history. Having retired from all formats in international cricket, Warner plays league cricket but still failed to make it to any of the 10 teams.

2. Jonny bairstow: Among wicket-keepers, England’s Jonny Bairstow being unsold is still hard to digest as he has done wonders in the league over the years. He has played many match winning knocks for Sunrisers Hyderabad and can single handedly turn the game around. But he has been injury prone for quite sometime and had also been inconsistent in recent times which might have been the reason he did not find any takers at the auction.

3. Steve Smith: Former Australian captain Steve Smith went unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction. The veteran cricketer registered himself for the auction at a base price of INR 2 crore but none of the teams were interested in investing in the 35 year old right hander.

4. Mustafizur Rahman: The Bangladeshi left-arm pacer is a specialist in this format of the game. He has delivered many match winning performances in T20 leagues worldwide. In the last season of IPL, Rahman performed quite well playing for Chennai Super Kings, where he picked up 14 wickets in nine matches. Still no side showing interest remains a big surprise for many.

5. Shardul Thakur: Among Indian players, Shardul Thakur did not draw a single bid in the auction and it surprised many.  All-rounders are a vital part of the game, proving crucial balance. Thakur was listed on Day 2 of the auction, but most teams had already set up their sides by then and had minimum budget left. Thakur has alsp been battling injuries and has even not played for India for almost a year.