Surprises were a complementary package of the recently concluded 2025 IPL mega auction. During the two-day event, cricket fans were enthralled by the shocking decisions of management sitting in the bidding room. In Jeddah, franchisees were looking for the future; that’s why young cricket talents get lucrative deals compared to veteran IPL stars; even some can’t get a contract.
For instance, David Warner, who won the IPL trophy with SRH as captain, counted as an IPL GOAT, has the highest number of runs among overseas batters and yet went unsold. But Warner is not the only seasoned campaigner in IPL who went unsold; there is a huge list that consists of players who were once an integral part of different franchises and are now contractless.
Here is a List of the Top 10 Most Surprising Names who went unsold in the IPL Auction 2025
David Warner
In the 2024 IPL, David Warner played for Delhi Capitals; he was bought by DC for 6.25 crore in 2022. But in the 2025 IPL auction, no one raised the paddle for him, and the highest run-scoring overseas batter went unsold.
Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow was part of Punjab Kings’ squad in the 2024 IPL; Bairstow played 11 matches in 2024 and scored 298 runs at an average of 29.80 with a century.
Kane Williamson
In the 2024 IPL Kane Williamson was part of Gujarat Titans, although he got a chance to just play two matches for them in the last season.
Shardul Thakur
Chennai Super Kings paid 4 crore for the fast-bowling allrounder in last year’s IPL auction. In the 2024 IPL, Shardul featured in 9 matches for CSK, scored 309 runs, and took 5 wickets.
Umesh Yadav
Last year, Umesh was sold for 5.80 crore to Gujarat Titans, taking just 8 wickets in the 7 matches that he played for GT in the 2024 IPL season.
Prithvi Shaw
Since making his IPL debut in 2018, Prithvi Shaw played only for Delhi Capitals, but before the 2025 mega auction, DC released him.
Jason Holder
Jason Holder went unsold in the IPL auction for the second straight time; he also went unsold in the 2024 IPL auction. Holder’s last IPL appearance came in 2023 for Rajasthan Royals.
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan has not been a part of IPL since 2023. In 2023, in IPL, he played for Delhi Capitals, but ahead of the 2024 IPL auction, DC released him, and since then he has been looking for a team in IPL.
Mayank Agarwal
SRH released Mayank Agarwal ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction; in 2024 he played only 4 matches for Hyderabad, scoring 64 runs at an average of 16.
Player Went Unsold in IPL 2025 Mega Auction With the 2 Crore Base Price
| Player | Base Price | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| David Warner | 2 Crore | Australian |
| Jonny Bairstow | 2 Crore | English |
| Kane Williamson | 2 Crore | New Zealander |
| Daryl Mitchell | 2 Crore | New Zealander |
| Shardul Thakur | 2 Crore | Indian |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 2 Crore | Bangladeshi |
| Adil Rashid | 2 Crore | English |
| Finn Allen | 2 Crore | New Zealander |
| Ben Duckett | 2 Crore | English |
| Rilee Rossouw | 2 Crore | South African |
| James Vince | 2 Crore | English |
| Tom Banton | 2 Crore | English |
| Mustafizur Rahman | 2 Crore | Bangladeshi |
| Naveen Ul Haq | 2 Crore | Afghanistani |
| Umesh Yadav | 2 Crore | Indian |
| Tabraiz Shamsi | 2 Crore | South African |
| Evin Lewis | 2 Crore | West Indian |
| Steve Smith | 2 Crore | Australian |
| Gus Atkinson | 2 Crore | English |
| Tom Curran | 2 Crore | English |
| Matt Henry | 2 Crore | New Zealander |
| Alzarri Joseph | 2 Crore | West Indian |
| Rassie Van Der Dussen | 2 Crore | South African |
| Sean Abbott | 2 Crore | Australian |
| Adam Milne | 2 Crore | New Zealander |
| Jason Holder | 2 Crore | West Indian |
| Chris Jordan | 2 Crore | English |
| Tymal Mills | 2 Crore | English |
