The mega auction of the 2025 Indian Premier league was full of excitement and surprises as we saw a lot of unique purchases and some big names unbelievably went unsold. The less number of bids on some of the major overseas players surprised the cricket fans. However, with replacement policy and chances of injury to the current squads can result in their addition to the league but still, these players deserved to be picked in the first place. 

So, let’s have a close look at the top 5 overseas players that went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction. 

Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman 

Afghanistan star spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is a popular face of the shortest format as he plays in different T20 leagues across the globe. However, he faced a major disappointment in the IPL 2025 mega auction where he remained unsold despite his previous good record in the league. Mujeeb has always bowled well in IPL but his best performance came in the 2018 season where he picked 14 wickets at an economy rate of under 7 runs per over. 

The right arm spinner was a part of Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past. In 2024, he represented Kolkata Knight Riders although he couldn’t play a single game due to a sprain in his right phalanx. He set a base price of INR 2 crore but remained unsold in all rounds of the auction. 

Johny Bairstow

The star English batter Johny Bairstow is a popular name in international cricket. He is known for his destructive batting and who can forget his blistering partnerships with David Warner at Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Englishman has represented both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings in the past and in those 5 years, he played 50 matches and scored 1589 runs at a strike rate of over 140. 

He was a big name when he was in SRH but after his move to Punjab Kings, the wicketkeeper batter lost his form. He managed to score a hundred in IPL 2024 but overall had a very poor season. And that might be the season why none of the franchises showed interest in him. 

Daryl Mitchell 

The kiwi all-rounder Daryl Mitchell is also a big name that went unsold in the auction. He has been an integral part of the New Zealand side in all three formats. Mitchell started his IPL journey in 2022 with Rajasthan Royals but unluckily he played just two games there due to team combination issues. In 2023, he was a part of the Chennai Super Kings squad as he was purchased at a whopping price of 14 crore. He played 13 matches and scored 318 runs in the season. 

However, everyone was stunned as none of the franchise showed interest in him despite his consistent good performance in international cricket. Mitchell is not just a brilliant middle-order batter but also a handy pace bowler. So, the franchises might have missed a trick here by not selecting him. 

Kane Williamson 

The star batter and captain of New Zealander team Kane Williamson was another surprise name that remained unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Williamson is known as one of the most accomplished batters of this generation but the franchises were not interested to avail his experience and skills. He is also the former captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad captain and was an integral part of the side for many seasons. Kane also won the 2018 Orange Cap by scoring the highest number of runs in the season. 

The form of Williamson in T20 cricket is not up to the mark recently and his lack of power hitting might also have contributed to his lesser demand among team owners. 

David Warner 

The most surprising name in our list of unsold overseas players is the aggressive former Australian opener David Warner. He has been a consistent performer in the IPL over the years. The left-handed batter is the highest overseas run scorer in the history of the Indian Premier league. Warner has scored 6,565 runs with a strike rate of over 140. 

The left-handed batter was the orange cap winner in the 2015,2017, and 2019 season of the IPL. He helped his side Sunrisers Hyderabad win the 2016 IPL trophy with his match winning performances. He was a part of Delhi Capitals in the last season and despite a base price of just INR 2 crore, he went unsold in the auction.