The right-handed batter went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction.
For a boy who scored 546 runs in a school tournament in Mumbai, you would imagine his cricketing story etched in the stars. Such was the case for young Prithvi Shaw in 2013. The youngster burst onto the scene with the highest score in India’s school cricket history. Shaw was easily called the next great Sachin Tendulkar.
The youngster also led India’s U19 side to the ICC World Cup title in 2018. The dream seemed to go in the right direction. But destiny had other plans for Shaw. Suddenly, the flamboyant shots went out of the book, and the confidence in his walk changed. It was as if someone jolted him from a dream.
Fast forward to the present day, the 25-year-old is set to play for Maharashtra in the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season. Currently playing a practice match against his former side, Mumbai, Shaw has smashed a century and will be looking forward to starting the season on a high. But what went wrong in between?
After the youngster lifted the U19 World Cup in 2018, he was soon bought by the Delhi Capitals (DC) for a whopping sum of INR 1.2 crore. Prithvi Shaw also went on to represent India in whites against the West Indies at home. He scored a century on debut, making a grand entrance in international cricket.
However, during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2019, Shaw’s career took an impactful turn. The Mumbai youngster tested positive for Terbutaline, a banned substance under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The drug is usually used in cough syrups, and Shaw had to stay away from the game for a period of eight months.
After making his way back to competitive cricket, the India U19 World Cup winner had quite a run. He performed brilliantly in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2021, ending the season as the seventh-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He scored 479 runs in 15 games with four fifties to his name.
But his consistency went down. The dips in form were visible, and his fitness was a concern. The next two years were pretty average for a player of the calibre of Prithvi Shaw, who was once destined for impeccable stardom. As a result, he was released by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the mega-auction in 2024. Despite lowering his base price, no franchise showed interest in the youngster.
The struggles with low scores and discipline issues continued till early 2025. A few months ago, Shaw claimed that his cricketing path went wayward as he started giving less time to the game. Moreover, he declared his move from Mumbai to Maharashtra to start afresh.
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The aggressive opener has made a good impact after joining forces with Maharashtra. His ability to go hard from ball one is what makes him a dangerous prospect. Though his footwork is not always at its best, his hand-eye coordination puts him in great positions to score big runs.
This year, Prithvi Shaw has not registered an official hundred. But this does not mean his form has taken a dip. Though his tons aren’t on record, the youngster has got two sumptuous hundreds. The first one came in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament, in a game against Chandigarh. In his debut innings for Maharashtra, Shaw scored 111 runs to start on a high.
He recorded his second ton today, in a practice match against his former side, Mumbai. Shaw and Arshin Kulkarni opened the innings for Maharashtra, and they got off to superb starts. The openers stitched a 305-run stand for the opening wicket. Shaw ended with a score in excess of 180, delivering some promise ahead of the new Ranji Trophy season.
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