5 Unsold Indian cricketers who could be signed as replacements

The stage is set for the biggest names in the world to make their name in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) who are the defending IPL champions will see nine teams get ready to knock them off their perch. Star names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, and others will be in focus when they take to the field. 

Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer who are the top two costliest players in the history of the league, will be leading their respective sides. Pant, who was picked by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 27 Crores has been named the captain going into the season. Shreyas Iyer who is reuniting with Ricky Ponting after being purchased for INR 26.75 Crores. 

In the last IPL auction that was held in November, some huge name stars were left unsold. When we speak about international players, the likes of David Warner and Steve Smith are two names who went unsold. A few Indian stars also went unsold but have a chance to make their comeback during the season as replacement stars. 

Also Read:IPL 2025: What are the new player replacement rules formed by BCCI ahead of new season?

Here are the top five unsold Indian cricket stars who can make a return to IPL 2025 as replacement stars:

5- Kartik Tyagi 

Young pace bowler Kartik Tyagi emerged onto the scene as a talent who could play for India in the future. Kartik Tyagi went unsold during the IPL 2025 auctions much to the surprise of many fans. With many teams likely to look for replacements during the course of the season if an injury occurs, Tyagi will be one of the players who could come in as a replacement player. So far, the 24-year-old has played 20 games in the IPL and picked 15 wickets and his last match came in the 2024 season for Gujarat Titans. 

4- Sarfaraz Khan 

One of the best batters in India currently, young Sarfaraz Khan went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction. His young sibling Musheer is set to make his IPL bow for Punjab Kings this year. Sarfaraz Khan made his IPL debut in 2015 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and made an immediate impact. Sarfaraz Khan has played 50 matches in the league scoring 585 runs with a solitary fifty and has a strike rate of 130. 

3- Umesh Yadav 

Considered one of the best fast bowlers to emerge from India, Umesh Yadav has been sidelined from international cricket. Umesh Yadav was part of Gujarat Titans last year but went unsold during the IPL 2025 auctions in November. Yadav has been a key bowler and played a key part for KKR in their 2014 title win with 11 wickets. Umesh Yadav could make his comeback as one of the IPL 2025 replacement players if the name star gets ruled out. 

2- Piyush Chawla 

Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla is one of the top bowlers in the history of IPL with 192 wickets so far. Chawla, last played for Mumbai Indians and was a key figure in MI making it to the playoffs during the 2023 season as he claimed 22 wickets. The veteran spinner has already won the IPL title with KKR in 2014 and is a potent bowler in the middle overs. The 36-year-old was one of the key Indian stars who went unsold in the IPL 2025 auctions after Mumbai Indians released him at the end of the season. 

1- Shardul Thakur 

33-year-old all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been currently training with Lucknow Super Giants as a net bowler. LSG are sweating on the fitness of Mohsin and Avesh Khan as well as Mayank Yadav. In such a scenario Shardul Thakur can be enlisted as a replacement player. Thakur has been in brilliant form in domestic cricket not just with the ball but also with the bat. The 33-year-old has played 95 games in IPL and picked 94 wickets as well as scoring 307 runs with one half-century.