In the IPL 2025 auction held in Jeddah, several illustrious players failed to get buyers due to their underwhelming performances in the previous editions of the league. Some players were once colossal figures in the league but their persistent failures have cost them. Noting some distinguished names who failed to convince franchises to invest in them at the business event, SportsTiger has prepared the unsold XI of IPL 2025.
Openers: David Warner and Prithvi Shaw
David Warner, who guided Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to their maiden and only title victory, is the highest-leading run-getter in the overseas category with 6565 runs in 184 matches. However, his experience and batting figures were ignored which took him to the unsold list. Youngster Prithvi Shaw also grabbed a lot of eyeballs after failing to attract buyers in the auction.
Middle-order batters: Kane Williamson, Steven Smith, Sarfaraz Khan, and Yash Dhull
Kane Williamson was an instrumental part of Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2024 but he failed to be impactful and the 2022 champions parted ways with him. This year, no franchise showed interest in him. Another international figure who didn’t get sold in the auction was Australia star batter Steven Smith, who led Rajasthan Royals (RR) until 2020. Like the previous season, Sarfaraz Khan also won’t feature in the league again this year. Yash Dhull, who led India to the U-19 victory in 2022, also couldn't convince the franchises to invest in him.
All-rounders: Shardul Thakur and Piyush Chawla
India all-rounder Shardul Thakur couldn’t be effective with both bat and ball in the last two seasons and noting his failures in both editions, franchises didn’t raise their paddle for him in the auction. Similarly Piyush Chawla’s miserable 2024 performance also forced franchises to turn a blind eye to him.
Bowlers: Naveen-Ul-Haq, Shivam Mavi, and Umesh Yadav
Afghanistan pacer Naveen-Ul-Haq looked mediocre with the ball for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the last couple of IPL installments. This year, he went under the hammer again after getting released from the Super Giants but franchises didn’t show interest in getting his services. Shivam Mavi’s name also didn’t draw any buyers towards himself. Umesh Yadav, who was once a mainstay bowler for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), also went unsold.
Impact player: Adil Rashid in, Steven Smith out
Adil Rashid also didn’t get any buyers despite performing exceptionally in international cricket. Competition from other spinners and IPL inexperience in the auction could’ve deprived him the opportunity to get a franchise in the auction.
