Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Prithvi Shaw going unsold at IPL 2025 Auction ft. Harbhajan Singh
Several top players were sold at record prices during the two-day IPL 2025 mega auction, which concluded on Monday, November 25, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. However, one player who grabbed attention for going unsold was Prithvi Shaw.
Shaw made his India debut in 2018, scoring an impressive 134 runs in a Test match against the West Indies, and was quickly compared to cricket great Sachin Tendulkar. Unfortunately, his form declined soon after, with fitness issues and off-field controversies further hindering his career.
Retained by Delhi Capitals for INR 7.5 crore ahead of the 2022 season, Shaw struggled to meet expectations over the next three years, often finding himself dropped from the playing XI. In 26 matches across three seasons, he scored 587 runs, including four fifties, leading Delhi to release him ahead of the 2025 auction.
Despite setting his base price at INR 75 lakh, Shaw went unsold, with no bidders showing interest. Since then, various cricket experts have shared their thoughts on his situation. Here, we look at the top five expert reactions to Prithvi Shaw going unsold at the IPL 2025 auction.
#1 Pravin Amre
Former Delhi Capitals assistant coach Pravin Amre expressed disappointment over Prithvi Shaw’s career taking a downturn, stating that the Mumbai cricketer struggled to handle the fame and money. In a conversation with The Times of India, he said:
"It's so disappointing to see that a talent like him is going in reverse direction... 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... Talent alone can't take you to the top. The three Ds - discipline, determination, and dedication - are important.”
"Three years back, 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 Rs 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," he continued.
#2 Ricky Ponting
Former Delhi Capitals head coach and Australian captain Ricky Ponting expressed his sadness over Shaw going unsold, emphasizing that he is one of the most talented players he has ever worked with. Ponting remarked:
“Sad. You know, Prithvi, I still say now he is as talented a player as I probably ever worked with. He goes unsold in the auction and then doesn't even come back in the accelerator. And there are a lot of teams here that are looking at him. He's not playing. But as I said, the game catches up with you. So, yeah, I guess that. Yeah, that's about all you can say.” [via The Business Standard].
#3 Mohammad Kaif
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who served as the assistant coach for Delhi Capitals during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, mentioned that the franchise did everything possible to support the opening batter despite his struggles.
However, Shaw was unable to repay that trust with consistent performances with the bat. Kaif commented on Jio Cinema during the IPL auction:
“Delhi has backed Prithvi Shaw a lot. DC had hoped that he is a powerplay player and would hit 6 boundaries in one over. And he did that too. He hit Shivam Mavi for 6 fours in an over. He had a lot of potential and DC backed him to the hilt. We always thought that if Shaw manages to score, we will win. And we gave him a lot of chances.”
"There were meetings in the night where we would sit and ponder if Prithvi should play or not because he has been failing. So at night we would decide that Prithvi would not be in the playing XI, and then later on the day of the match, we would change our decision - that, no he will because maybe if he goes big, we would win.”
Kaif further expressed that it is embarrassing for Shaw not to have received a bid for INR 75 lakh and suggested that this might be the moment for him to return to the basics:
“Prithvi got a lot of chances and teams have now finally moved on, and it is a matter of embarrassment that he did not get a bid for Rs 75 lakh. Maybe now, he finally goes back to basics. Someone like Sarfaraz Khan got into the national team by scoring lots and lots of runs.”
#4 Kevin Pietersen
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen stated that Prithvi Shaw still has time to make a comeback, but he needs the right people around him. He advised Shaw to take a break from social media and focus on his training. In a post on X, he wrote:
"Some of the greatest sports stories are COMEBACK stories. If Prithvi Shaw has decent people around him who care about his long term success, they’d sit him down, tell him to get off social media & train his absolute backside off in getting super fit. It’ll get him back into the correct path where past success can return. Too talented to throw it all away. Love, KP!”
#5 Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh expressed his surprise at the shocking decline of Prithvi Shaw, remarking that he was once considered as talented as Sachin Tendulkar. In an interview with News18, he said:
"I don't know what happened, but whatever did, I feel this is something Prithvi Shaw will need to take stock of and decide how to approach his career going forward. Such things either make or break a career, and it's up to Shaw to decide which road he wants to take. It's very tough for any player to digest that he's gone unsold at the auction. And this a player who people said is as talented as Tendulkar."
"Our problem is that they started comparing him so early with a player as big as him [Sachin]. You put pressure on the player. But with Prithvi Shaw, there are many more factors than just cricket."
The 44-year-old also expressed hope that Shaw would overcome this setback and focus on improving his fitness. He suggested that if Shaw looks up to anyone, it should be Virat Kohli:
“I hope he emerges out of this setback stronger. Work hard on his fitness; he's a very young guy. Must be around 24-25. He can go a long way if he focusses on his fitness. Because the Prithvi Shaw that we saw and the version of him we are seeing now – even size-wise – he clearly has ignored his fitness. Whereas, look at the fitness of Team India players, and it reflects on the ground. If he needs to look up to someone, make sure it's Virat Kohli.”
The 25-year-old has featured in 12 international matches across all three formats, accumulating 528 runs, including two half-centuries and one century.