"He is misunderstood in many ways" - Parth Jindal explains why Prithvi Shaw needed a jolt through IPL 2025 Auction snub
Delhi Capitals (DC) co-owner Parth Jindal recently spoke about Prithvi Shaw's release from the franchise, and his eventual snub at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Auction. The opening batter did not fetch a single bid from the franchises despite setting his base price as low as INR 75 Lakhs, when compared to the hefty contracts that some of his peers fetched at the event.
Shaw was part of DC's plans after being one of the retentions ahead of the 2022 mega auction. He was backed by the franchise as a top-order prospect, but his career went downhill courtesy of a combination of poor scores, controversies, and poor fitness levels.
The franchise had given the player a string of opportunities over the course of the last two seasons, and decided to release him after things stayed relatively the same.
"Prithvi is a great kid. He is misunderstood in many ways. And I think all of us growing up need a jolt and need to be shaken up from our slumber. There are times when I even needed that jolt. All your life you grow up hearing that you are the special one, you're the most talented, you're the only other batter in the world other than Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli to have a MRF bat. That tells you a lot about what everyone thought about him," Parth Jindal said in an interview with Sports Today.
Shaw has been encouraged to turn his career around since he still has age on his side. The IPL Auction snub was capped off with a duck for Mumbai against Maharashtra in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
"I think this is that one jolt Prithvi needed" - Parth Jindal on Shaw
Shaw needs to make a comeback across all fronts to change the franchises' minds in the future. An improvement in his fitness levels, and a solid domestic season could bring him back into the picture in the future. However, as things stand, Shaw is nearing rock-bottom, and needs an immediate turnaround in fortunes.
"People calling you Lara, somebody calling you Sachin, someone else calling you the next big thing. You grow up in that environment, and everyone from Mumbai cricket talking big about you. I think this is that one jolt Prithvi needed. Till now, he was on a fat IPL contract, he was playing for Mumbai across all formats, and was someone starting for DC at least. I think he needs to work hard. He needs to get back to loving the game of cricket. He needs to get back to the nets, get his fitness. He needs to get back and understand where he went wrong and get disciplined," Jindal added (as per the aforementioned source).
Former DC coaches Ricky Ponting and Mohammad Kaif spoke highly of Shaw recently. However, they too had their hands tied after a point of time when there were no returns in the form of scores, despite several opportunities.