IPL 2025 was not a normal season. Players pulled out for personal reasons, injuries forced a long list of replacements, and the league was paused for a week because of the India-Pakistan conflict before resuming. The season ended with RCB winning their first title, but behind the scenes, every franchise had to rebuild its squad more than once. This article lists the key withdrawals, the reasons, and the replacements each team signed.
The New Rule That Changed Withdrawals in 2025
IPL 2025 was the first season under a tougher withdrawal policy. The BCCI introduced it in response to complaints from franchise owners about last-minute pullouts. The rule says that any overseas player who registers for the auction, gets picked, and then makes himself unavailable before the start of the season is banned from the IPL and the auction for two seasons.
The rule does not apply to genuine injuries or medical reasons. That is why most names on this list are injury cases, while only one major name faced the penalty.
IPL 2025 Withdrawn Players: Quick Reference Table
| Player | Team | Reason | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Brook | Delhi Capitals | National commitments (voluntary) | Sediqullah Atal |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | Delhi Capitals | Personal reasons | Mustafizur Rahman |
| Jos Buttler | Gujarat Titans | National commitments (playoffs) | Kusal Mendis |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Chennai Super Kings | Injury | Ayush Mhatre |
| Glenn Maxwell | Punjab Kings | Injury | Mitchell Owen |
| Lockie Ferguson | Punjab Kings | Injury | Kyle Jamieson |
| Devdutt Padikkal | RCB | Injury | Mayank Agarwal |
| Mayank Yadav | Lucknow Super Giants | Back injury | Will O’Rourke |
| Glenn Phillips | Gujarat Titans | Injury | Dasun Shanaka |
| Brydon Carse | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Toe injury | Wiaan Mulder |
| Umran Malik | Kolkata Knight Riders | Injury | Chetan Sakariya |
| Lizaad Williams | Mumbai Indians | Knee injury | Corbin Bosch |
| Allah Ghazanfar | Mumbai Indians | Back injury | Mujeeb Ur Rahman |
| Nitish Rana | Rajasthan Royals | Injury | Lhuan-dre Pretorius |
| Sandeep Sharma | Rajasthan Royals | Injury | Nandre Burger |
| Mohsin Khan | Lucknow Super Giants | Injury | Shardul Thakur |
Players Who Withdrew by Choice or for National Reasons
1. Harry Brook (Delhi Capitals)
Brook was the biggest name to leave, and his exit came with consequences. He withdrew for the second consecutive year, and Delhi Capitals had bought him for ₹6.25 crore at the auction. He pulled out nearly two weeks before the new season, citing his commitment to the national team. The year before, he had withdrawn from the 2024 season after the death of his grandmother.
This time, the new rule applied. The BCCI imposed a two-year ban, so he cannot take part in the IPL or its auction for the next two seasons, effectively ruling him out until the 2028 edition. He did not hide from the decision. He apologised unreservedly to Delhi Capitals and their supporters on social media. More recently, he has said he could think about returning once the ban ends. Delhi’s replacement, according to the withdrawal list, was Sediqullah Atal.
Not everyone agreed on the punishment. His former England teammate Moeen Ali said the BCCI was right to ban him, noting that many players had pulled out after being selected over the past several years.
2. Jake Fraser-McGurk (Delhi Capitals)
The young Australian opener had a breakout 2024 and became a key part of Delhi’s plans. He opted out of the rest of the 2025 season for personal reasons. Delhi signed Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman as his replacement. The swap shows how teams sometimes replace a batter with a bowler when their squad balance changes.
3. Jos Buttler (Gujarat Titans)
Buttler did not withdraw from the season, but he missed the playoffs. He was due to fly out for national duty against the West Indies after the league stage, so Gujarat signed Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis as a temporary replacement for the playoffs. For a top-order player who was central to Gujarat’s batting, losing him at the knockout stage was a real blow.
4. Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks (Mumbai Indians)
Mumbai were set to be without both players for the knockout stage because of national commitments, and they were reportedly in talks with Jonny Bairstow and Richard Gleeson as replacements. Losing an opener and an all-rounder at the business end of the season is difficult, but Mumbai reached the playoffs and finished third.
5. Sam Curran and Jamie Overton (Chennai Super Kings)
Chennai confirmed that both players would miss the rest of the tournament. The team was already out of playoff contention, so no replacements were named at that stage.
Players Ruled Out by Injury or Medical Reasons
6. Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai Super Kings)
CSK’s captain was the most significant injury casualty of the season. Chennai replaced him with Ayush Mhatre, and also replaced Gurjapneet Singh and Vansh Bedi, who were ruled out by injury, with Dewald Brevis and Urvil Patel. The injuries forced CSK to rely on young players for much of the season.
7. Glenn Maxwell and Lockie Ferguson (Punjab Kings)
Punjab replaced Maxwell with Mitchell Owen and Ferguson with Kyle Jamieson. Ferguson’s exit came early. He hobbled off after bowling two balls against SRH in April, and Punjab’s fast-bowling coach said he was out indefinitely. Despite both losses, Punjab went on to reach the final.
8. Devdutt Padikkal (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
RCB’s only replacement of the season was Mayank Agarwal, who came in for the injured Padikkal. RCB needed few changes in a season that ended with the trophy.
9. Mayank Yadav (Lucknow Super Giants)
Mayank’s season was cut short by a recurring problem. He suffered another back injury and was ruled out of the last leg of the season, with LSG signing New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke at ₹3 crore. He had played only two matches before the tournament was suspended. Lucknow also replaced Mohsin Khan with Shardul Thakur.
10. Glenn Phillips (Gujarat Titans)
Gujarat replaced the injured Phillips with Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka. Along with Buttler’s departure, this meant Gujarat made two overseas changes in a short time.
11. Brydon Carse (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Carse was ruled out with a toe injury. Hyderabad named Wiaan Mulder as his replacement. They also used Ravichandran Smaran and Harsh Dubey as injury replacements elsewhere in the squad, which shows how often replacements were reshuffled.
12. Mumbai Indians’ Bowling Blows
South African pacer Lizaad Williams was ruled out with a knee injury, and Mumbai signed his compatriot Corbin Bosch. Afghan spinner Allah Ghazanfar was ruled out with a back injury. Mumbai also replaced Vignesh Puthur with Raghu Sharma and brought in Mujeeb Ur Rahman for Ghazanfar.
13. Kolkata Knight Riders
Fast bowler Umran Malik was ruled out with an injury, and KKR replaced him with Chetan Sakariya. Later, Moeen Ali and Rovman Powell were unavailable for the remainder of the season, for a viral infection and a medical procedure respectively.
14. Rajasthan Royals
Nitish Rana was replaced by Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Sandeep Sharma by Nandre Burger, both because of injury. Jofra Archer was also ruled out with an injury, though no replacement was named at the time. Rajasthan missed the playoffs, so the late changes had limited effect on the table.
The Mid-Season Replacement Rule
The suspension created a special situation. After the one-week pause, the IPL allowed franchises to sign temporary replacements for the rest of the league, but those replacements could not be retained for the next season. The aim was to stop teams from using the amendment to get around the auction. That is why several of the names in the lists above, such as Kusal Mendis at Gujarat, are described as temporary signings.
How the Withdrawals Affected the Season
Chennai suffered the most. The loss of Gaikwad, Gurjapneet, Bedi, and later Curran and Overton left CSK relying on young replacements.
Gujarat lost key overseas names. Phillips was injured and Buttler left for national duty, but the team remained competitive through the league stage.
Punjab handled it well. Even with Maxwell and Ferguson gone, Punjab still reached the final, which suggests their replacements were chosen with care.
RCB barely needed replacements. With one injury cover signing, they kept a stable squad. They went on to beat Punjab Kings by six runs in the final.
Delhi lost two overseas names. Brook and Fraser-McGurk both left, which forced the team to rethink its overseas combination.
Lessons from the 2025 Withdrawals
- Rules change behaviour. The two-year ban made voluntary withdrawals expensive, which is why the list shows fewer last-minute pullouts than in 2024.
- Injury cover is essential. Teams that planned for replacements did better than those that scrambled.
- National duty still matters. Even with the ban, players like Buttler, Rickelton, and Jacks left because of international calls.
- Replacements can be short-term. The mid-season rule meant teams could fix gaps without long-term consequences.
FAQs
Who withdrew from IPL 2025?
Harry Brook withdrew before the season, and Jake Fraser-McGurk opted out of the remainder for personal reasons. Many others, including Ruturaj Gaikwad, Glenn Maxwell, Lockie Ferguson, and Mayank Yadav, were ruled out by injury.
Why was Harry Brook banned from the IPL?
He withdrew after being picked at the auction, which triggered the BCCI rule banning overseas players from the IPL and auction for two seasons.
How much did Delhi Capitals pay for Harry Brook?
₹6.25 crore.
Who replaced Harry Brook at Delhi Capitals?
Sediqullah Atal.
Who replaced Ruturaj Gaikwad at CSK?
Ayush Mhatre.
Who replaced Mayank Yadav at LSG?
Will O’Rourke, signed at ₹3 crore.
Who won IPL 2025?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who beat Punjab Kings in the final.
Final Take
IPL 2025 showed how much a single rule can change a season. The two-year ban made Harry Brook’s withdrawal a lesson for every overseas player, while the long list of injuries kept replacements busy through the whole tournament. For franchises, the key lesson is to plan for depth. For players, the message is clear: if you enter the auction, the league expects you to turn up.