NEW DELHI: Prithvi Shaw faced a major setback at the IPL 2025 mega auction as the opening batter went unsold, with no franchises showing interest in acquiring him.
Shaw’s struggles with form and fitness have significantly impacted his value, leading to his exclusion from the bidding process.
This development marks a significant blow to Shaw’s efforts to reignite his career, especially after being released by Delhi Capitals ahead of the auction. With this disappointment, questions loom over Shaw’s future in both the IPL and international cricket.
Prithvi Shaw, base price Rs 75 lakh, failed to attract a bid at IPL 2025 mega auction
In a podcast, Shaw’s former coach Jwala Singh explained the reason for the batter’s downfall and why he remained unsold at the IPL auction in Jeddah.
On being asked by the host that why Shaw disappeared from the scene even though he was extremely talented, Jwala Singh said, “Prithvi came to me in 2015 and was with me for three years. And when he came he had not played Mumbai Under-16 matches and his father asked me to guide him. Then in next year, he played the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy and scored big in selection matches. And I worked very hard on him. Basically he was talented from the beginning, I will not take full credit because many coaches have worked for him, but at that time it was only me. I was excited when he played the Under-19 World Cup because he was my first student to do so. Before leaving for the Under-19 World Cup, he had celebrated his birthday with me. But after that I have not seen him, that was 2017, we are in 2024, I have not seen him, he has not come to me.”
On being again asked by the host that when Shaw was emerging on the scene he was compared to legends like Brian Lara, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, he made a hundred on Test and then started his problems with the incoming delivery and that grew so much that there are questions raised about his weight, confidence, attitude, so what has Yashasvi Jaiswal done that Shaw couldn’t do because both were equally talented?
Jwala Singh, who was also the coach of Yashasvi Jaiswal, replies, “I think the process, which we call work ethic, so I feel if you are talented, talent is just a seed, to make it a tree, consistency is very important in that journey and that consistency comes from your lifestyle, your work ethic and discipline, so what I feel is that consistency is not with him. One can make great start which he did but to stay at the top in international cricket, one has to improve his game all the time. Even Sachin Tendulkar refined his game consistently, fine-tuned his game, worked on his fitness and mental toughness. So I feel a player goes off track only if he gets away from the process. You will not fall back if your process and work ethic is fine, so I feel players fail because of that. As far as Yashasvi is concerned, is work ethic is superb, he really works hard and he knows what to do. That is the main difference.”
Following disappointing performances in the first two rounds of the 2024 Ranji Trophy, Shaw was dropped from Mumbai’s squad for the third round.
Reports indicate that the decision was influenced not just by his poor form but also by disciplinary concerns, including missed training sessions, adding to his struggles.
Shaw’s journey has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. In 2018, he was named by the ICC as one of the top five breakout stars in men’s cricket, showcasing immense potential.
However, his career hit a stumbling block in 2019 when he received a doping ban from the BCCI, ruling him out of action until November that year.
