Prithvi Shaw Sold to Delhi Capitals During IPL Mini Auction 2026

In an interesting turn of events, India's discarded opener Prithvi Shaw went unsold during the early phases at the IPL Auction 2026. It was a strange move as the Mumbai batter has been in impeccable form in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He had a base price of INR 75 lakhs, and not even a single team raised its paddle for the Indian batter before the accelerated auction, later in the night. Prithvi Shaw produced an eye-catching display in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and used the domestic tournament as the platform to showcase his T20 skills.

Prithvi Shaw Unsold in Early Phase of IPL Auction 2026

Prithvi Shaw's standout knock came against Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, where he struck a half-century off just 23 deliveries and went on to score 66 from 36 balls. Even in the Ranji Trophy, he struck a string of centuries and was looking back in form.

Shaw went unsold at the IPL Auction 2026, but it could be considered under a strategic plan, as the set for the unsold players returned towards the end of the mini auction, and his former team, Delhi Capitals, acquired his services at his base price of INR 75 lakhs.

Prithvi Shaw IPL 2026 auction journey took an emotional turn, with the India batter briefly expressing his disappointment on social media before his fortunes shifted late in the day. After failing to attract any bids at his base price of ₹75 lakh in the initial round, Shaw’s name came up during the accelerated auction, where he once again went unpicked.

Soon after, Shaw shared an Instagram story that read “It’s OK,” with a heartbreak emoji, which caught attention before being deleted. However, the narrative changed dramatically later in the auction when Delhi Capitals stepped in with a late bid, bringing an end to a tense and eventful day for the 26-year-old.

Prithvi Shaw Sold to DC at Base Price

The script changed for Prithvi Shaw late in the auction when his name was brought back into the mix for a third time, with the Delhi Capitals, the franchise with the potential to become one of the best teams in IPL, stepping in to secure him. This brought relief for the batter, who quickly removed his earlier Instagram post and replaced it within minutes with a fresh story celebrating his return to the franchise.

Shaw reshared Delhi Capitals’ welcome post, featuring a picture of him taking a selfie with captain Axar Patel, and captioned it “Back to my family” with a heart emoji. The 26-year-old has featured in five Tests and six ODIs for India since making his international debut against the West Indies in October 2018, with his last ODI appearance coming against Sri Lanka in July 2021. Earlier this year, he grabbed headlines in domestic cricket by smashing the fastest double century in Ranji Trophy history in October.

Shaw began his domestic career with Mumbai after debuting in the 2016–17 season, but has switched his team to Maharashtra. Shaw captained India to the U19 World Cup title in 2018, famously scoring 546 in a Harris Shield elite division match, the highest individual score in any recognised form of cricket since 1901. He also gained overseas experience by turning out for Northamptonshire in the English County Championship during the 2023–24 season.