Over the years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions have been instrumental in shaping the careers of several players. Both star players and rookies look forward to the IPL auction with keen anticipation.
Rishabh Pant has earned the highest amount in the history of IPL auctions, as he signed for a whopping INR 27 crore by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2025 mega-auction. Meanwhile, Avesh Khan holds the record for being the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history. He was roped in by LSG for INR 10 crore in the 2022 mega-auction.
However, not all players have had such memorable auction experiences. In this article, we take a look at three players who lost out on potentially lucrative IPL contracts due to poor performances ahead of the auctions.
3 players who lost money because of one bad moment before the auction:
Andre Russell
Andre Russell was retained for INR 12 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction. However, he failed to live up to his potential last season. In 13 matches, he scored just 167 runs at an average of 18.56. He registered just one half-century during the campaign. With the ball, he took only eight wickets in nine innings at an economy rate of 11.94. One innings that Russell wouldn't want to remember is the 11-ball 17 he scored against the Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. KKR were chasing a target of 112. However, they were bowled out for 95 in 15.1 overs.
KKR fans and management would have hoped that Russell, who walked out to bat at No. 7, would have taken the team home. Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, the Knights decided to release the Caribbean all-rounder. He subsequently decided to retire from the IPL and join the three-time champions as their Power Coach. The 37-year-old could have earned a huge amount had he entered the auction instead of retiring. However, he was not willing to play for any other franchise than the one he spent 12 seasons with.
Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw burst onto the scene as a teenager and also led India to the U-19 World Cup triumph in 2018. He played a handful of international matches before his career spiralled alarmingly. After spending seven seasons at Delhi Capitals, the right-handed batter was not retained by the franchise before the IPL 2025 mega-auction.
One of the main reasons behind his release was his dismal form in previous seasons. In IPL 2023 and 2024, Shaw aggregated only 304 runs from 16 matches. Also, there were reports consistently emerging about his struggles with maintaining the required fitness levels for professional cricket. He was also dropped by Mumbai during their Ranji Trophy campaign for being overweight. He reportedly refused to bat in net sessions when out of form during the IPL. So, disciplinary issues also hampered his progress. In the IPL 2025 mega-auction, Shaw went unsold.
Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell's IPL form deserted him after the 2023 edition of the tournament. In IPL 2024, he scored just 52 runs from 10 matches. Last season, he joined the Punjab Kings for INR 4.2 crore but only managed 48 runs in seven games. The Shreyas Iyer-led side released him ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, which is set to be held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.
While Maxwell has not been able to do justice to his talent in recent years in the IPL, he has continued to play some exhilarating knocks in T20Is for Australia. Fans were expecting him to start a bidding war at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. However, the spin-bowling all-rounder announced on December 2 that he would not be entering the auction. This decision means that he will have to watch the impending edition of the IPL from the sidelines. Maxwell is already 37 years old, and it would be tough for him to return to the IPL in the coming seasons.
