Prithvi Shaw finally gets sold at his base price after being unsold earlier in IPL 2026 auction

India's out-of-favour opening batter Prithvi Shaw returned to the Delhi Capitals (DC) squad after being signed at his base price of ₹75 lakh in the IPL 2026 auction on Tuesday, December 16. The 26-year-old didn't attract a single bid initially, remaining unsold even in the accelerated round.

However, his name was shortlisted again for the third round, where the Delhi-based side snapped him up. This will be his second stint with the team. He made his IPL debut with DC in 2018 and remained with them till 2024.

The talented batter was unsold at the IPL 2025 auction and wasn't picked as an injury replacement during the season either. It remains to be seen if his new journey with DC will give his career a new lease of life.

Prithvi Shaw has looked in impressive form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26, having struck two half-centuries and scored 183 runs across seven innings at a strike rate of 160.52.

Meanwhile, the Axar Patel-led DC kicked off IPL 2025 with four successive wins. However, they lost momentum after that and ultimately failed to secure a place in the playoffs. They finished fifth in the standings with 15 points after 14 games.

A look at Prithvi Shaw's IPL career

Prithvi Shaw was signed by Delhi for ₹1.20 crore at the IPL 2018 auction. The right-handed batter amassed 245 runs from nine innings at a strike rate of 153.12 in his debut season.

His best season came in 2021, when he was DC's second-highest run-scorer of the edition. He chalked up 479 runs across 15 matches with a strike rate of 159.13.

Shaw's form became a huge concern for Delhi in 2023. He wasn't a regular feature in their playing XI in 2023 and 2024. He was released ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction following the back-to-back disappointing seasons.

He has 1,892 runs from 79 matches in his IPL career. He has an average of 23.95 and a strike rate of 147.47.

Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai