The recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction witnessed intense bidding wars with all 10 teams trying their best to build a team that can punch above its weight in a bid to lift the coveted title.

While a player’s experience is a big selling point, given the wealth of promising talent that appears each season, it may be difficult for some of the veteran stars to appear in their respective franchises’ starting XII squad.

In this article, we take a look at five of those stars who might struggle to become consistent starters next season.

ALSO READ: 3 players KKR bid unsuccessfully for in IPL 2025 auction

Faf du Plessis

The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain was picked up by Delhi Capitals (DC) for his base price of INR 2 crore at the auction in Jeddah. Notably, RCB had the opportunity to use RTM for the Proteas star but decided against it.

While the addition of du Plessis for the price DC got is a bargain, he may not get enough of a chance, given DC’s foreign talent pool and the limitation of featuring only 4 foreigners.

DC already have exciting young Australian opener Jake Fraser-McGurk alongside English batting great Harry Brook in the top order and Tristan Stubbs also at number 5 or 6, giving their batting some solid firepower.

There is no doubt that Faf is a brilliant batsman but given that he is in the twilight of his career, DC are expected to use him as a substitute or in specific games where the management feels the need.

Jaydev Unadkat

Last season’s runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bought Jaydev Unadkat for INR 1 crore. Notably, the move created a new record as Unadkat was sold out for the 13th time, the most in the tournament’s history.

However, SRH also spent a lot of money on getting top-notch pacers like Mohammad Shami and Harshal Patel, in order to strengthen their bowling department. Therefore, it will be extremely difficult for the 33-year-old to become a mainstay of the team, although he could be preferred in some games given that he is the only left-footed player in the team.

Ishant Sharma

After being released by DC ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Ishant Sharma was picked by the IPL 2022 winners, Gujarat Titans, for his base price of INR 75 lakhs.

The Titans have already built a strong pace battery with players like Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj and Gerald Coetzee and it will be extremely difficult for Ishant to secure a place in the starting XII.

Notably, Ishant has featured in just 17 games in the last two seasons, claiming 20 wickets. In addition, recurring injuries have prevented him from performing at his best in recent years.

Good luck

Lungi Ngidi has appeared in 43 T20Is and 14 IPL matches in his career, taking 63 and 25 wickets respectively. His impressive track record highlights his ability as a true wicket-keeper, and RCB secured a valuable addition by acquiring him at their base price of INR 1 crore.

Despite this, breaking into the plaing XII may prove to be a challenge for Ngidi, given the presence of foreign pacers such as Josh Hazlewood and Nuwan Untilhara. Hazlewood, RCB’s most expensive buy in the IPL 2025 auction at INR 12.5 crore, is likely to lead the pace attack. Untilhara, who has performed well in the last few T20 matches, could also be ahead in the pecking order. As a result, Ngidi’s opportunities could be limited to a few sporadic appearances.

Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali initially went unsold at the auction but was later picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 2 crore. He is expected to serve as a backup option for Sunil Narine. The defending champions are likely to rely on Quinton de Kock, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Anrich Nortje as their main foreign players.

If KKR need a replacement, West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell is probably the first choice. This means Moeen could spend most of the season on the bench unless Narine becomes unavailable. However, using Moeen could disrupt KKR’s bowling strategy as the England all-rounder may struggle to fulfill his full quota of overs effectively on the batting-friendly pitches of Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

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