The IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah brought surprising moments, with some of cricket’s most notable stars failing to attract bids. Among them was David Warner, 38, whose name remained unsold despite his illustrious IPL career. Warner, who retired from international cricket in June, entered the auction with a base price of INR 2 crore. While his name resurfaced during the accelerated round on Monday, no franchise showed interest.
Warner’s IPL legacy is undeniable, with 6565 runs in 184 matches, making him the highest-scoring overseas batter and the fourth overall, trailing only Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Rohit Sharma. Known for his consistency, he crossed 500 runs in a season seven times—a record shared with Kohli. However, his form during IPL 2024 was lacklustre, scoring only 168 runs across eight matches for Delhi Capitals (DC) at a strike rate of 134.40. Warner’s most recent outing in competitive cricket was at the Caribbean’s MAX60 tournament, where he excelled as the leading run-scorer with 297 runs at a strike rate of 181.09. He is set to return to action for Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 early next year.
Another big name to go unsold was Shardul Thakur, listed at a base price of INR 2 crore. The seam-bowling all-rounder, who played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last season, managed five wickets in nine games at an economy of 9.75 while contributing just 21 runs with the bat. Thakur hasn’t represented India in any format since December 2023, following foot surgery in June. He only returned to competitive cricket in October during the Irani Cup for Mumbai.
Prithvi Shaw, once retained by DC ahead of IPL 2022, also found no takers at his base price of INR 75 lakh. Struggling with form, Shaw was benched in IPL 2024 and later dropped from Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad due to poor fitness and disciplinary concerns.
England’s Jonny Bairstow, previously with Punjab Kings (PBKS), faced a similar fate. Despite scoring 551 runs at a strike rate of 148.92 in 22 innings for PBKS between 2022 and 2024, no franchise placed a bid for him at his base price of INR 2 crore.
New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, bought by CSK for INR 14 crore in the 2024 mini-auction, also went unsold despite his stellar performances across formats. He, too, carried a base price of INR 2 crore.
This auction highlighted the unpredictability of IPL selections, as even seasoned players with proven records found themselves without teams.