There's still an outside chance for some players to feature.
While the Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen dreams turning into reality, and players becoming overnight sensations, there’s also the flipside where cricketers go through the downfall with some paying for it by getting ignored or going unsold.
Given the intensity of the tournament, there’s a sheer demand for consistency and players who have struggled, have had to face the consequences.
Nevertheless, despite not landing contracts in the auction, there’s still an outside chance for some players to feature. The latest Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction, which took place in November last year also witnessed some shocking exclusions but players can stake their claim as a replacement option in case a current member of any team gets injured or severely sick and has to be ruled out for the tournament or a considerable amount of time.
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There are a few players who are already grabbing the attention with some stellar performances. In this article, we take a look at three veteran Indian players who went unsold but can now be frontrunners as replacements in IPL 2025 after recent impressive performances in white-ball cricket.
The dynamic all-rounder is a household name in Indian cricket. Despite that, Shardul Thakur failed to land any suitor for IPL 2025 due to a lacklustre last season. Given his repute, Shardul looked extremely subpar, scoring just 21 runs and picking five wickets in nine games for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Thus, the franchises opted to not bid for him but the 33-year-old seemed to be giving a fitting response to the snub with a sublime form in domestic cricket. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT)- the domestic T20 tournament, Shardul finished as the fourth-highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps in 9 games and best figures of 4/25. He was also the leading wicket-taker for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) with 10 wickets at 6.56 average.
Shardul Thakur can thus be on the radar in case a team requires a contingency option.
Apart from his wicketkeeping, KS Bharat offers flexibility and can fit anywhere in the top or the middle-order. Furthermore, Bharat has looked in good touch as well in both the SMAT and VHT.
In SMAT, the 31-year-old 307 runs at 76.75 average and strike-rate touching 150 while he finished VHT with 335 runs in 7 games with an average of 67, including two fifties and a century.
Bharat also has prior IPL experience, plying his trade with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), which makes him a perfect fit as a replacement option for the next IPL edition.
In 2021, Mayank Agarwal enjoyed a stellar IPL season with the Punjab Kings (PBKS). Following two outstanding consecutive seasons, he was appointed captain for the 2022 IPL after KL Rahul’s departure. However, things took a sharp downturn, and he now finds himself without an IPL contract.
Agarwal, who amassed 864 runs at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 147 across the IPL 2020 and IPL 2021 seasons, struggled significantly as captain, managing just 196 runs in 12 innings. He was subsequently released, and his fortunes did not improve during his stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Despite this, there is still hope for Agarwal. He could secure a spot as a replacement player, thanks to his exceptional performance in the VHT. The Karnataka opener finished second on the run-scoring charts, with 619 runs at an impressive average of 93 and a strike rate of 107.6.
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