IPL 2026 auction has been full of surprises. While Cameron Green became the most expensive foreign player in auction history, several prominent names failed to attract any bids.
Notably, Indian batsman Sarfaraz Khan went unsold despite being in good form, and predictions about Liam Livingstone fell short, as the English all-rounder also remained unclaimed in the first round.
In the past two weeks, 28-year-old Sarfaraz Khan showcased his explosive form in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) for Mumbai, scoring his maiden T20 century along with two quick fifties in 18-ball and 15-ball innings. Despite this impressive performance, Sarfaraz went under the hammer in the first/marquee set of the IPL 2026 auction, yet no franchise showed interest, even though his base price was just ₹75 lakh.
Sarfaraz Khan wasn’t the only high-profile player left unsold. Prithvi Shaw, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Devon Conway also failed to attract any bids from the franchises.
Unsold Players in IPL 2026 (So Far)
Jake Fraser-McGurk
Prithvi Shaw
Devon Conway
Sarfaraz Khan
Gus Atkinson
Rachin Ravindra
Liam Livingstone
Wiaan Mulder
Srikar Bharat
Jonny Bairstow
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Jamie Smith
Deepak Hooda
Matt Henry
Akash Deep
Shivam Mavi
Gerald Coetzee
List will be updated in some time…
Among the unsold, Liam Livingstone’s name stands out. Despite being a major international star and fitting the all-rounder requirements of many teams, no franchise placed a bid. His base price was set at ₹2 crore.
Similarly, Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw, who went up for auction early on, were unable to find buyers. Both had a base price of ₹75 lakh. Other notable players who remained unsold included Devon Conway and England veteran Jonny Bairstow, adding to the list of unexpected surprises in this year’s auction.
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