Top 5 players who shockingly went unsold in IPL 2026 Auction ft. Jonny Bairstow

The IPL 2026 auction was held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16. A total of 369 players were confirmed for the event. The ten franchises spent a combined ₹215.45 crore to sign 77 cricketers at the mini-auction.

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green emerged as the costliest buy. He was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping ₹25.20 crore, making him the most expensive overseas player in auction history.

It was not just the overseas stars who raked in big money, as franchises also invested heavily in uncapped Indian youngsters. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) snapped up Uttar Pradesh's spin-bowling all-rounder Prashant Veer and Rajasthan's keeper-batter Kartik Sharma for ₹14.20 crore each.

Notably, there were several big names that surprisingly attracted no bidders. Here, we take a look at the top five players who shockingly remained unsold in the IPL 2026 auction.

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#1 Jonny Bairstow

England's wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow is a proven performer in the IPL. He featured in the league for the first time in 2019 and has represented SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI).

He was unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction as well, but was later roped in by MI towards the business end of the season in a short-term deal as a replacement player.

The swashbuckling batter played just two matches and scored 85 runs at a fantastic strike rate of 184.78. However, despite once again showing what he can do in the T20 format, he was overlooked by all the franchises in the IPL 2026 auction. His base price was set at ₹1 crore.

Bairstow has looked in decent form during the ongoing International League T20. Playing for MI Emirates, he has amassed 136 runs from five innings with a strike rate of 129.52.

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#2 Jamie Smith

Another English wicketkeeper who didn't find a taker in the IPL 2026 auction was Jamie Smith. While he has yet to make his IPL debut, he has shown great potential at the international level.

Smith has an excellent strike rate of 194.02 and has scored 130 runs from five T20I appearances. He entered the auction with a base price of ₹2 crore, but his name didn't generate any interest.

Overall, he has chalked up 1,687 runs across 82 innings at a strike rate of 144.31 in the format.

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#3 Deepak Hooda

India's out-of-favor all-rounder Deepak Hooda set his base price at ₹75 lakh but remained unsold at the event. The hard-hitting batter has experience of 125 IPL matches and has plied his trade for Rajasthan Royals (RR), SRH, Punjab Kings (PBKS), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Hooda was with CSK in IPL 2025, but had a dismal season. He finished with just 31 runs from five innings. His form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has been quite impressive, and he has registered scores like 76*, 90* and 43.

Interestingly, the Rajasthan cricketer played a 51-run knock from 31 balls against Mumbai in the domestic T20 tournament on the day of the IPL 2026 auction.

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#4 Jake Fraser-McGurk

Australian opener Jake Fraser-McGurk entertained fans with his big hitting in IPL 2024. He amassed 330 runs from nine innings at an astonishing strike rate of 234.04.

Delhi used the Right-to-Match (RTM) option to re-sign the youngster for ₹9 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, he failed to replicate the same success in the season, scoring 55 runs from six innings with a strike rate of 105.76.

He set his base price at ₹2 crore and failed to fetch a bid at the IPL 2026 auction. His underwhelming performances in the previous edition may have affected his chances.

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#5 Akash Madhwal

Indian pacer Akash Madhwal was another player who shockingly went unsold. He made his IPL debut in 2023 for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and picked up 14 wickets from eight innings.

The seamer registered the best-ever figures in IPL playoffs, bowling a sensational spell of 3.3-0-5-5 in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He took five wickets from as many outings in the subsequent edition.

Madhwal was picked up by RR for ₹1.20 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. He played four games and finished with as many wickets at an economy rate of 11.06. He remained unsold despite a base price of ₹30 lakh in the IPL 2026 auction.