Recently during a meeting between the BCCI and IPL franchise owners, calls were made to ban players who withdraw from the tournament despite getting deals in the auction. Here are some big-name overseas players who withdrew from the IPL after the auction for non-injury reasons.
"After being selected in the auction, if a player doesn't come to play the season for any reason apart from injury, he should be banned," she said. "The franchises put in a lot of effort into the auction to form their combinations.
"If a player goes for a low amount in the auction, and subsequently doesn't turn up, it affects the combination and the balance of the side. There have been many instances of overseas players not turning up for this reason."
Also read: IPL 2025 owners meeting: All the updates so far
Similar suggestions have been made in the past by various pundits and the issue has been raised by franchises several times. However, no step has been taken so far by the BCCI. Last year, at least five overseas players withdrew for reasons other than a specified injury. Several others have done the same over the last couple of years, usually citing "personal reasons", with some of them being repeat offenders.
Overseas players who withdrew from IPL after the auction since 2022
Jason Roy - 2022, 2024
The England opener was picked up by the new team on the block, Gujarat Titans, in the IPL 2022 auction for his base price of INR 2 crore. However, he withdrew before the tournament began, citing "family reasons and bubble fatigue", to be eventually replaced by Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Two years later, Roy was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 2.8 crore at the IPL 2024 auction. Once again, the right-handed batter withdrew from the tournament due to personal reasons. Luckily, it worked out well for KKR as he was replaced by Phil Salt who had a successful season, but no one was left pleased by Roy's late withdrawal.
Alex Hales - 2022
Another English opener, Alex Hales withdrew from IPL 2022 after being picked by KKR at the auction for his base price of INR 1.5 crore. Hales said in a X (then Twitter) post that he was withdrawing due to bubble fatigue. He was replaced by Aaron Finch.
Shakib Al Hasan - 2023
The Bangladesh all-rounder was snapped by KKR in the auction after the Bangladesh Cricket Board had informed IPL of the "limited availability" of its players. However, Shakib eventually withdrew from the season without ever making it to the KKR camp citing international engagements and "personal issues".
Thala for a r̴e̴a̴s̴o̴n̴ season? 🤔
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) August 1, 2024
MS Dhoni has shared his thoughts on playing in IPL 2025.
Read here ➡️ https://t.co/DYWwduz4C3 pic.twitter.com/LvGS7izJ32
Mark Wood - 2024
The English seamer had been signed for INR 7.5 crore at the IPL 2022 auction by Lucknow Super Giants. He was retained by the franchise for the IPL 2024 season, but was withdrawn by the ECB to manage his workload keeping the 2024 T20 World Cup in mind. Wood was replaced by Shamar Joseph.
Gus Atkinson - 2024
Along with Wood, ECB also withdrew young fast bowler Gus Atkinson who had been picked by, you guessed it - KKR, at the IPL 2024 auction for INR 1 crore, for similar reasons. Atkinson was replaced by Dushmantha Chameera.
Adam Zampa - 2024
The Australian leg-spinner was retained by Rajasthan Royals for the price at which he was bought in the IPL 2023 auction - INR 1.5 crore. However, Zampa withdrew from the tournament citing personal reasons following a busy season for Australia. He was replaced by Mumbai spinner Tanush Kotian.
David Willey - 2024
LSG had bought the English left-arm seamer at a price of INR 2 crore at the IPL 2024 auction. While it was clear that Willey would miss the initial part of the season having played the Pakistan Super League just ahead of the IPL, he later withdrew from the entirety of the IPL 2024 season for personal reasons. He was replaced by Matt Henry.
Wannindu Hasaranga - 2024
While the official reason for the Sri Lanka leg-spinner not playing IPL 2024 after being picked up at his base price of INR 1.5 crore at the auction by SRH was a chronic heel injury, there was a lot of confusion and back-and-forth regarding his situation. Latest reports suggest that his withdrawal irked SRH quite a bit, leading to them proposing a ban on overseas players withdrawing without adequate reason.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
