5 players who retired after going unsold or not being retained in IPL

The IPL auction is just around the corner, and every franchise is analysing its squad to form a formidable team for the next season. Ahead of the auction, the teams announced their retentions list, and some players, who have been the faces of the franchise for decades, were shockingly not retained. 

Over the years, several big names, almost synonymous to the franchise, have been released or gone unsold at the auction later. However, some players chose to retire after not being retained or failing to find any takers at the table. Here, let us have a look at five notable cricketers who retired under such circumstances.

Here are 5 players who retired from IPL after going unsold or not being retained

Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on December 3, 2025. He was released by Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction after a quiet IPL 2025 season in which he took only two wickets in eight games. Mohit’s professional career spanned nearly 14 years. He made his T20 debut in the IPL with Chennai Super Kings and represented India in 26 ODIs and eight T20Is between 2013 and 2015, picking up 37 wickets across limited-overs cricket.

Mohit initially started as a new-ball bowler for CSK, but later reinvented himself as a death-overs specialist. His late-career resurgence came with Gujarat Titans in 2023, where he picked up 27 wickets. After a relatively average IPL 2025 season, he was not retained by DC and decided to call time on his playing career across different formats of the game.