Once touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, Prithvi Shaw‘s stocks hit rock bottom after he went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Shaw was a part of the Delhi Capitals franchise since 2018 but was released ahead of the auction. Not a single franchise bid for him and his name didn’t come in the accelerated phase of the auction either. DC co-owner Parth Jindal, who worked closely with Shaw in the past, has opened up on the talented batter’s downfall.

Pant scripted history when he scored a ton on his debut for India. His early days in international cricket painted quite a promising picture. But, not a lot has gone right for him since then. The batter isn’t even a regular in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team anymore. Out of an IPL contract, Shaw truly has his back against the wall. But, Jindal feels that is a good thing.

“Prithvi is a great kid, but is misunderstood in many ways. I think, once in a while, we all need a jolt, and need to be shaken up from our slump. But when all your life you grow up hearing that you are the special open, the most talented, and is the only other batsman in the world other than Sachin and Kohli to own an MRF bat, that tells you a lot.

“Somebody called him Lara, somebody called him Sachin, or the next big thing…so grew up in that environment. Everyone from Mumbai cricket was talking about him. Mumbai has given us Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, and now they were talking about him. So, this is that one jolt Prithvi needed. Till now he was on a fat IPL contract and playing across formats for Mumbai and was starting for Delhi,” he said in a chat with India Today.

Jindal is keeping his fingers crossed for Shaw, hoping he would shrug off the disappointments and work on his fitness in a disciplined manner to bounce back.

“He needs to work hard and get back to loving the game again, and work on his fitness and discipline. I hope he comes back and becomes the Prithvi Shaw he had known,” he added.