India (Commonwealth) _ It’s surprising that no franchisers were interested in some well-known cricket players with a wealth of talent. Among them, perhaps the most prominent name to go unsold at the IPL 2025 super auction in Jeddah was 38-year-old David Warner.
Warner joined the auction with a starting price of INR 2 crore, having announced his retirement from international cricket in June. His name reappeared in the accelerated round on Monday after being unsold on Sunday, but no one seemed interested in him.
Warner has consistently been among the IPL’s top performers over the years. His 6565 runs from 184 games rank fourth overall in the event and are the most by an overseas batter. He was the fourth-highest total at IPL, behind Rohit Sharma (6628), Shikhar Dhawan (6769), and Virat Kohli (8004) of India.
In a season, Warner and Kohli both reached the 500-run milestone seven times. However, his IPL 2024 performance for the Delhi Capitals (DC) was lackluster; he scored 168 runs with a strike rate of 134.40 in eight appearances.
At the MAX60 tournament in the Caribbean in August, Warner played his final competitive match. With 297 runs at a strike rate of 181.09, he was the leading scorer there. Early next year, he will play for the Dubai Capitals in the ILT20.
With a base price of INR 2 crore, Shardul Thakur was the most well-known Indian player to go unbid. Thakur, an all-around seam bowler, played for CSK the previous season. At an economy rate of 9.75, he took five wickets in nine games. Despite only having three batting opportunities, he scored 21 runs.
However, Thakur hasn’t played any kind of cricket for India since December 2023. He had foot surgery this year in June and didn’t play competitive cricket again until early October when he played for Mumbai in the Irani Cup.
After the second drinks break, Shardul Thakur hit the first ball to dismiss Shakib Al Hasan. Bangladesh vs. India, Asia Cup Super Four, Colombo, September 15, 2023
With a base price of INR 2 crore, Shardul Thakur was the most well-known Indian player to go unbid. Thakur, an all-around seam bowler, played for CSK the previous season. At an economy rate of 9.75, he took five wickets in nine games. Despite only having three batting opportunities, he scored 21 runs.
However, Thakur hasn’t played any kind of cricket for India since December 2023. He had foot surgery this year in June and didn’t play competitive cricket again until early October when he played for Mumbai in the Irani Cup.
After the second drinks break, Shardul Thakur hit the first ball to dismiss Shakib Al Hasan. Bangladesh vs. India, Asia Cup Super Four, Colombo, September 15, 2023. Additionally, DC, who hired Prithvi Shaw prior to the 2022 Indian Premier League, did not receive a bid at his base fee of INR 75 lakh.
After struggling with form in the previous two seasons, Abishek Porel benched Shaw in the 2024 Indian Premier League. Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team removed him more recently due to his “general conduct” and poor fitness.
Another well-known name that didn’t sell was Jonny Bairstow of England. Between 2022 and 2024, Bairstow played for the Punjab Kings (PBKS), scoring 551 runs in 22 innings at a strike rate of 148.92. He has a base price of INR 2 crore; however, there are no bids for him at this auction. At the IPL 2024 mini-auction, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) purchased Daryl Mitchell, one of New Zealand’s top performers in all forms, for INR 14 crore. Additionally, he offered a starting payment of INR 2 crore.
Out of the 1574 players who enlisted for the IPL 2025 mega auction, the BCCI initially selected 574 names to put up for auction during the two-day event. However, Jofra Archer (England), Saurabh Netravalkar (USA), and Hardik Tamore (India) later joined the list, bringing the total to 577. Of the final names, 210 are cricket players from abroad, including four associates, and 367 are Indian players.
