From Rishabh Pant to Venkatesh Iyer: 5 most expensive flops of IPL 2025

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is heading for an exciting finish with just three teams left chasing the ultimate glory in T20 franchise cricket. With only two matches remaining, IPL 2025 has thrilled fans with high-octane action and intense player battles over the last 10 weeks.

The season has already delivered over 1,200 sixes and nearly 2,200 fours, as fans across teams have been thoroughly entertained. However, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for some teams, as several of their big-money stars failed to deliver in IPL 2025.

As we approach the final games, here are the five most expensive flops of IPL 2025.

Rishabh Pant - Lucknow Super Giants ( ₹27 crore)

The Lucknow Super Giants were in desperate need of a fresh leader for their franchise after the departure of KL Rahul, and the franchise pulled out all stops to bag Rishabh Pant.

LSG fended off competition from a few other franchises, especially Punjab Kings, and splashed out ₹27 crore for the swashbuckling wicketkeeping batsman.

However, the weight of the price tag seemed to be too much to bear for Pant as he put on a horror show for LSG in IPL 2025 as they failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Pant endured a difficult season and was the butt of social media memes due to many questionable captaincy decisions and a poor overall show with the bat.

He did redeem himself, with the bat, in the final league game of the season against Royal Challengers Bengaluru as he hit a superb century. 

However, it was too little too late, as LSG were already out of contention for the playoffs by then. To add salt to injury, LSG lost that game in front of their home fans at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Venkatesh Iyer - Kolkata Knight Riders ( ₹23.75 crore)

After letting go of their star captain Shreyas Iyer ahead of IPL 2025, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders dished out big money to retain star top-order batsman Venkatesh Iyer, spending ₹23.75 crore in the auction for his signature.

However, Iyer was another player who couldn't bear the pressure of the price tag. The lanky southpaw never got going in IPL 2025 as the defending champions crashed out in the league stage as they finished eighth in the table.

While Iyer flattered to deceive with the bat, a lower batting position definitely contributed to his poor show for the defending champions.

In the last league game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, which SRH won by a whopping 110 runs, KKR threw a hint at what's next for the left-handed batter.

Iyer was dropped for that fixture against SRH for the second time in IPL 2025, and it seems KKR is moving on from their expensive 'mistake'.

Mohammad Shami – Sunrisers Hyderabad ( ₹10 crore)

Last year's runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad splashed ₹10 crore on Mohammad Shami as they looked to onboard an experienced new ball specialist to lead their bowling attack.

However, Shami failed to deliver on all fronts as he picked up only six wickets throughout the season and failed to be economical with his bowling.

The 34-year-old had a forgettable season as SRH finished sixth in the table. In fact, SRH were languishing near the bottom of the table, but they rounded off the league stage with a hat-trick of wins, which propelled them to sixth.

Shami was a shadow of his usual self as he leaked runs in the powerplay and at the death and was ineffective in picking up wickets to stem the flow of runs from the opposition batters.

Not only did Shami end the season on a disappointing note of his team not qualifying for the playoffs, but also the heartbreak of missing out on India's tour of England.

Ravichandran Ashwin - Chennai Super Kings ( ₹9.75)

CSK brought back their 'prodigal son' to much fanfare, but R. Ashwin's return to his hometown franchise was anything but celebratory.

The veteran off-spinner was expected to be the five-time champions' frontline bowler, but he was ineffective throughout the season as CSK finished dead last.

His performances were even more disappointing when you take into consideration that CSK plays their home games on the spin-friendly surfaces of the MA Chidambaram stadium, which Afghanistan left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad made full use of.

In fact, Ahmad was the lone bright spark in CSK's disastrous campaign, as the 24-year-old picked up 24 wickets in 14 matches.

As for Ashwin, it remains to be seen if he will be retained for IPL 2026 as CSK could go through a wholesale clean-up of their squad for next season.

Jake Fraser-McGurk - Delhi Capitals ( ₹9 crore)

DC retained the 23-year-old top-order batsman for ₹9 crore after a standout season in IPL 2024.

The aggressive right-handed batsman entered IPL 2025 carrying a big reputation, but his season crashed and burnt before being dropped midway through.

Fraser-McGurk couldn't find the middle of the bat every time he was on the pitch, and the Delhi franchise dropped him after just 6 innings, where he scored a measly 55 runs.

He returned to Australia after the IPL 2025 was temporarily suspended due to the military tensions between India and Pakistan and never returned, as he was too rattled by the conflict. 

And based on his performances this season, Fraser-McGurk's exile from DC could be a permanent one.

Stay updated on all the action from the IPL 2025. Check the IPL 2025 Schedule, track the latest IPL 2025 Points Table, and follow the top performers with the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.