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Prithvi Shaw entered the IPL 2025 mega auction with a base price of Rs 75 lakh, but he failed to find any buyers during the two-day event in Jeddah.
Prithvi Shaw remained unsold at IPL 2025 mega auction. (Picture Credit: Sportzpics)
Prithvi Shaw, who was seen as the next big thing in Indian cricket when he first burst into the scene in 2018, failed to find any buyers in the IPL 2025 mega auction, which was held in Jeddah on November 24 and 25. The right-handed batter, who was associated with the Delhi Capitals in the cash-rich league from 2018 to 2024, entered the mega auction with a base price of Rs 75 lakh, but to the surprise of many fans and experts of the game around the world, he wasn’t picked by any of the 10 teams.
After Shaw remained unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction, former Delhi Capitals coach Pravin Amre, who worked closely with the Mumbai-batter during his time in IPL for DC, revealed the reason for the downfall of Shaw. According to him, Shaw, who led India to the U-19 World Cup title win in 2018 and then made his international debut in October 2018 against the West Indies, failed to handle the fame and money.
“Three years ago, I gave him Vinod Kambli’s example. I’ve seen Kambli’s downfall from close quarters. It’s not easy to teach certain things to this generation. Thanks to being retained by DC, Prithvi must have earned ₹30-40 crore by the time he was 23. Will even an IIM graduate get that type of money? When you earn so much at such a young age, you tend to lose focus. It’s important that you know how to manage money, have good friends, and prioritise cricket,” Amre was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
“It’s so disappointing to see that a talent like him is going in the opposite direction. Someone told me that before he left for Mumbai for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, Prithvi cracked a superb century in a practice match at the Cricket Club of India. Even today, he can hit a 30-ball fifty in the IPL. Maybe he couldn’t handle the glamour and money, the side effects of the IPL. His example can be a case study in Indian cricket. What’s happening to him shouldn’t happen to other cricketers. Talent alone can’t take you to the top. The three Ds—discipline, determination, and dedication—are important,” Amre added.
Shaw, who made his IPL debut in 2018 for the Delhi Capitals, was backed by the Delhi-based franchise despite multiple failures, but he failed to live up to the expectations. He was dropped from the playing XI in the middle of the 2023 season and made very limited appearances for the Rishabh Pant-led side in the 2024 season.
According to Amre, DC had a lot of faith in Shaw’s abilities, but his performances got hampered due to indiscipline.
“When DD bought him, he had just captained the India U-19 team to the World Cup title. Delhi was the first IPL team to really back his talent. At that time, ₹1.2 crore was a big amount. Next year, he performed well in the first game itself, smashing 99 off just 55 balls against KKR. From that match onwards, Delhi kept faith in him. However, even after backing him for six years, the DC management was left hurt. It was his indiscipline that hampered Prithvi’s performance. That hunger to come back and do well was missing,” Amre said.
