IPL 2025: David Warner exposed, went unsold at auction due to 'non-cricketing reasons'

David Warner getting unsold was one of the biggest shocks of the IPL 2025 Auction. The left-handed opener is one of the greatest players to have played in the Indian Premier League and has a stellar record in the tournament.

Warner had a base price of INR 2 crore in the auction. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra made a bold claim that he was not picked due to non-cricketing reasons. Chopra supported his argument by saying that an aged player like Faf du Plessis was picked but Warner wasn't.

Du Plessis was signed by Delhi Capitals for his base price of INR 2 crore. The former South African player led Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the last three seasons but was not retained by the franchise for the next season.

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Aakash Chopra makes a bold claim on David Warner being unsold

While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra spoke about Warner remaining unsold in the IPL 2025 auction. Chopra claimed that Warner is one of the greatest IPL players ever and he already has excellent numbers to his name.

He further claimed that Warner remaining unsold was mainly due to non-cricketing reasons and cited an example of Faf du Plessis, who was retained at such an age.

"Some people were not sold, and some of them were statements, that they won't take David Warner. You were getting David Warner for ₹2 crore. He is IPL's GOAT, his Aadhar card is already made, dances to South Indian songs, and loves India a lot but no one bought him," Chopra said.

"It can't be because of cricket. Faf du Plessis was sold. If Faf can be sold, why not David Warner?" he added.

Franchises didn't want David Warner the person - Aakash Chopra

Further reasoning his argument, Chopra mentioned the names of Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer and claimed that they did not try to go for David Warner despite being Australians and knowing him better.

"Two Australian coaches, Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer, were also sitting there but no one bought him. They might have bought David Warner the player but maybe didn't want Warner the person. I am not privy to this but common sense says that you will not take David Warner only because of non-cricketing reasons," Chopra added.

David Warner's numbers in the IPL

David Warner played for Delhi Capitals in the last season but was dropped midway for the young and explosive Jake Fraser-McGurk. He scored 168 runs in the tournament in 8 matches at an average of 21 and a strike rate of 134.40.

Warner has excellent numbers in the IPL. He has scored 6565 runs in 184 matches at an impressive average of 40.52 and a strike rate of 139.77. He has led Sunrisers Hyderabad to a title win once, in 2016 when they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final.

However, his performance has dipped over the years. With the franchises looking to build teams, young players are getting the nod. As a result, Warner was not considered for the upcoming season of IPL.