IPL Auction 2025: David Warner & Shardul Thakur are among the marquee players to go unsold in the auction.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction saw fierce bidding for players such as Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. But it also saw a few marquee players going unsold despite proven records in IPL and T20 cricket. Here’s a look at the top five unsold players in the IPL 2025 auction.
David Warner
David Warner can be called an IPL legend. He led the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) to the IPL title in 2017. He is one of the best openers the IPL has ever seen. The Aussie star has scored 6565 runs in 184 IPL matches at an average of 40.52 and strike rate of 139.77 with four tons and 62 fifties.
However, at 38, Warner, who has retired from international cricket, is in the twilight of his career, and his magic with the bat is on the wane. He struggled with the bat in the last IPL season for the Delhi Capitals (DC), where he could manage just 168 runs at an average of 21 with one fifty. Hence, neither Delhi nor any other team was willing to bet on an ageing warhorse.
Shardul Thakur
Not long ago, Shardul Thakur was an integral Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad member. CSK paid INR 4 crore to buy Thakur for IPL 2024. But his lacklustre performance in the previous season, where he managed just 21 runs in three innings, and five wickets in nine matches, saw him go unsold in the auction.
Also, the Impact Player’s rule has reduced the role of an all-rounder where a specialist batter or bowler is substituted with another specialist player of the opposite skill to maximise the team’s chances. Hence, franchises didn’t find any value in getting an all-rounder or a bit-and-piece player whose role has diminished due to the Impact Player’s rule.
Jonny Bairstow
On his day, Jonny Bairstow can destroy any bowling attack. He has also played some stellar knocks in the IPL. But franchises didn’t find buying the England opener in this auction worthwhile. Bairstow played for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the last IPL season and even scored a century, but could score only 298 runs at an average of 29.80 in 11 matches.
His inconsistent performance turned out to be his biggest bane. Punjab even tried him in various spots last season, but Bairstow could not score consistently for the team’s cause. His diminishing returns with the bat across formats, which saw him out of the national team, have probably propelled franchises to not bid for him.
Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw was once considered a child prodigy after his exploits with the bat in age-group cricket. He led India to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2018. He even had a great start to his Test career, making a ton on debut. But his decline has been even faster. He has been part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) since 2018 and has played a few memorable knocks as well.
However, Delhi finally lost patience with Prithvi after his diminishing returns in the last few seasons. He managed just 198 runs at an average of 24.75 with one fifty in eight games of IPL 2024. Prithvi's domestic career has been on a downward trajectory, with his exclusion from the state team attributed to factors ranging from fitness concerns to issues related to his "general conduct." Given these challenges, it came as no surprise that he went unsold in the auction.
Daryl Mitchell
The New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was unlucky to go unsold as he is still in prime form and adds a lot of utility with his all-round skills. He was part of CSK last season, where he scored 318 runs at an average of 28.91 and a strike rate of 142.60 with two fifties. He came late in the auction when most franchises had exhausted their purses and his base price of Rs 2 crore could not fit.
Besides, franchises would not want to add overseas players just for the sake of it, as there is a limit to the number of foreign players in the XI. The Impact Player’s rule could also be a reason for the franchises to go for specialist batters and bowlers who can easily be substituted by each other rather than an all-rounder.
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