IPL 2025 Replacement Players Who Could Be Retained Ahead of Mega Auction 2026

The IPL 2025 season has already seen a handful of replacement players stepping in to fill gaps left by injuries and withdrawals. While they were brought in as short-term fixes, many of these players have shown enough promise to make a case for themselves ahead of the big 2026 mega auction.

Shardul Thakur (LSG)

Lucknow Super Giants brought in Shardul Thakur as a replacement for the injured Mohsin Khan, who had to miss IPL 2025. Thakur, an experienced Indian bowler, was picked from the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP) for his base price of ₹2 crore. He proved his worth by taking 13 wickets in 10 matches for LSG this season. Considering his good performance and affordable price, LSG are likely to keep him for IPL 2026.

Year	Matches	Runs	Balls	Wickets	Best Bowling	Average	Economy	Strike Rate	4W	5W
2025	10	204	375	13	4/34	28.85	11.03	15.69	1	0

Ayush Mhatre (CSK)

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) brought in 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre as a replacement for the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad in IPL 2025. Even though CSK had a tough season and finished last on the points table, Mhatre became the biggest positive for them. The youngster impressed everyone, including MS Dhoni, with his powerful batting. He scored 240 runs in just 7 matches, with an average of 34.28 and a strike rate of 188.97. After such a brilliant debut season, CSK is likely to retain him before the 2026 auction, and he is expected to open the innings with Gaikwad in the next season.

Year	Matches	NO	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	50
2025	7	0	240	94	34.29	188.98	0	1

Dewald Brevis (CSK)

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) brought in young South African batter Dewald Brevis as a replacement for the injured Gurjapneet Singh during the middle of IPL 2025. Even though CSK had a tough season, Brevis made his presence felt with some crucial and match-winning knocks in the middle order.

The 22-year-old impressed everyone by scoring 225 runs in just 6 games, with an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of 180.00. His performances have convinced CSK to retain him ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100s	50s	0s	SR
6	6	0	225	57	37.50	0	2	0	180.00

Corbin Bosch (Mumbai Indians)

Mumbai Indians brought in Corbin Bosch as a replacement for the injured Lizaad Williams during IPL 2025. Bosch may have played just three matches, but he proved to be a valuable addition with both bat and ball. The South African all-rounder added much-needed depth to the side and played an important role in helping MI reach the playoffs. At 30, Bosch’s all-round skills make him a strong candidate to be retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

Year	Mat	Runs (Bat)	HS	Bat Avg	SR (Bat)	100	50	Runs (Bowl)	WKTS	BBM	Bowl Avg	Econ	SR (Bowl)
2025	2	47	27	23.50	146.88	0	0	55	1	1/26	55.00	7.86	42.00

Urvil Patel (CSK)

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has signed Urvil Patel as a replacement for Vansh Bedi, who was ruled out of the IPL 2025 due to a ligament tear in the left ankle. Though Urvil played just three matches for CSK in IPL 2025, he created an impact with his aggressive batting. Urvil, who scored 68 runs in 3 matches with an average of 22.66 and strike rate of 212.50, is set to be retained by CSK before the 2026 auction.

Year	Mat	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50
2025	3	0	68	37	22.67	212.50	0	0

Mayank Agarwal (RCB)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) signed Mayank Agarwal as an injury replacement for Devdutt Padikkal in the middle of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. During the IPL 2025 season, Mayank featured in just 4 matches and scored 95 runs but he played few knocks for RCB, who went on to win the title. Given his experience and utility, the 2025 champions RCB might retain Mayank before the IPL 2026 auction.

Year	Mat	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50
2025	4	1	95	41*	31.67	148.44	0	0

ALSO SEE: Rinku Singh Likely to Miss Out on India’s 2025 Asia Cup Squad Amid Tough Competition