A month after the announcement of release and retention lists, franchises started to dream about the day when they could once again buy new players at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi, and that day is already done, each of the 10 teams now ready with their new set of players for the 19th edition of the IPL (Indian Premier League). That being said, the top 5 players who could not find a buyer in the mini-auction for 2026 are mentioned below.
The reason why no players are sought after at any time is simply the situation of the teams’ demand and supply, which is most openly visible in the trading and transfers that happen before the auction. With this point of view, some off the players have to wait for the next year to play the IPL because they could not get sold.
Top 5 Unsold Players in IPL 2026 Auction Ft. Two Former CSK Stars
Jake Fraser-McGurk
The Australian opener is probably one of the most fearless openers in the quick format, who has proved that over the years. But, unfortunately, no team showed any interest in bidding for him at his base price of INR 2 Crore during the IPL auction.
Franchises such as the Delhi Capitals (DC), who were on the lookout for an opener to partner with KL Rahul, were thought to be interested in the Australian player. But the opposite happened. The first season of DC saw Fraser-McGurk playing nine matches with a strike rate of 234.04, which was huge for an opener.
Devon Conway
The opener from New Zealand who bats left-handed was with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for three seasons but was let go before the start of the 19th IPL season. Nonetheless, it was believed that he would be selected by one of the franchises. But that didn’t occur.
The 2023 season was his peak for CSK, when he made 672 runs in 16 innings at a 51.69 average – consisting of six fifties. In 2025, he had to settle for a meagre 26 runs per match over six games, which likely helped put him on the list of players to be released before the start of the season.
Maheesh Theekshana
The enigma bowler was let go by the Rajasthan Royals in November, along with his colleague Wanindu Hasaranga. Even though many teams needed a first-choice spinner, Maheesh Theekshana wasn’t picked by any of them.
The right-arm spinner bagged only 11 wickets for the Rajasthan Royals throughout last season across as many matches. To make the situation worse, his economy rate was almost 10, which is not a good indicator for a spinner. However, Theekshana is still one of the most wanted players in T20 cricket, and this did not show during the IPL 2026 auction.
Jonny Bairstow
Assumed to be one of the top targets for the Mumbai Indians (MI), Jonny Bairstow was the player in demand. However, the five-time IPL champions opted for Quinton de Kock, practically snatching him for the base price of INR 1 Crore. Consequently, Bairstow found himself among the top 5 unsold players of the mini-auction.
Bairstow entered the 18th edition of the IPL as a MI replacement and had limited participation, playing only two matches during the playoffs – but in both he got positive results. Yet, the auction table made different choices and the English wicketkeeper-batter was left out – which caused considerable surprise.
Deepak Hooda
The all-rounder of Rajasthan was just coming from a good performance against Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Although Rajasthan lost the match after an incredible run-chase by Mumbai, the impact of Deepak Hooda’s continued support in the shortest format through the years cannot be overlooked.
Hooda’s performance for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2025 season was inconsistent to say the least. The batsman only managed to score 31 runs in seven games with a dreadful average of 7.20, which is definitely way below the standard expected of a middle-order batter.
