Three players who ended up regretting their decision to enter the IPL auction

The IPL mini-auction is getting closer, set to be held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. Every year, the auction brings its share of surprises, young uncapped players suddenly earning huge contracts, while some well-known names don’t get picked at all. Most players who walk away with multi-million dollar signings have received substantially higher amounts from signings such as Rishabh Pant's 27 crore INR signing at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Others, however, must also contend with being unable to sell themselves in what is generally considered to be the premier franchise cricket league on earth. A lot of our players will see their entry into the auction as an error. This article will highlight five of those players and describe why they likely felt that entering into this year's IPL auction was a mistake. All five players entered with very respectable careers and strong reputations in the game globally.

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Prithvi Shaw Batter

Prithvi Shaw is not the first young Mumbai batter to get heads turning in cricket, and he most certainly won't be the last.

Many people were shocked when India's Prithvi Shaw failed to sell in Round 1 of IPL 2025's Mega Auction. He set his opening bid price at IN ₹ 75 Lakh in hopes of attracting buyers to him after previously having a poor year for the Delhi Capitals via the auction by fixing the price again. Sadly, no teams were interested in him during the Jeddah auction even at the lower price.

Shaw originally joined the Delhi Capitals back in 2018 when they acquired him for approximately IN ₹ 1.20 Crores. Shaw was one of the top-rated young players with great potential who let his talent slip away due to an ongoing lack of consistency, poor form and fitness issues during domestic matches. He will definitely regret that he did not find a team after lowering his base price!

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David Warner Opening Batter

David Warner is an Australian cricketer who retired from international cricket but continues to play in T20 franchise leagues.

David Warner, one of the best overseas players in IPL history, went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction, which was a huge surprise. Even with a base price of INR 2 crore, no team showed interest in him. Warner started his IPL career with the Delhi Daredevils and later moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), where he even won the IPL title in 2016.

He later returned to Delhi Capitals but struggled for consistency in later seasons. Across 184 matches, Warner amassed 6565 runs at an exceptional average of 40.52, including four centuries and 62 half-centuries. His unsold status stunned fans and analysts alike, making his decision to enter the auction one he may deeply regret.

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James Anderson Bowler

James Anderson, the legendary fast bowler for England, went unsold during the IPL auction, which surprised few people. Anderson is the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history for England, but has not played white-ball cricket since 2015. In fact, he has not participated in any T20I matches for over 15 years now, and therefore would be seen as an unlikely candidate for a fast-moving format that requires youth, fitness, and people who have played regularly in T20 leagues.

As the oldest player in the auction, Anderson listed a base price of INR 1.25 crore to attract bidders for this particular tournament. Despite having no bidders after the initial rounds of the auction, his name was totally omitted from the accelerated round requested by IPL teams. For a bowler of Anderson's status to register on an auction list and ultimately be unsold is an overwhelming disappointment and regret towards Anderson.

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Fan Runs Onto Field to Meet Hardik Pandya, Hardik Tells Security to Stay Calm Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya made a happy return from injury during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Baroda and Punjab at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

by K D Mishra December 4, 2025