Former Team India cricketer Mohammed Kaif targeted Prithvi Shaw with his comments after the latter got no bids at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Shaw was a Delhi Capitals opener for several seasons, but has now fallen down the pecking order among in-demand batters:
“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,” Kaif said.
Delhi didn’t even lift their paddle for a former opening batter at his ₹ 75 lakh base price, shocking many analysts. Kaif didn’t seem surprised, and he has a word of advice for Shaw as the cricketer aims to redeem his battered image in franchise cricket:
“Maybe now, he finally goes back to basics. Someone like Sarfaraz Khan got into the national team by scoring lots and lots of runs,” Kaif added.
Shaw Speaks on Dealing with Criticism
Fans expected Prithvi to stay off social media while plotting his return to India’s premier cricket league; however, the batter took an alternate route. He responded to questions about social media users constantly trolling him right before the mega auction in Jeddah.
The cricketer ultimately said social media trolls don’t follow his activities to comment good things about him; however, he reports feeling bad about some posts from few users:
“If he is not following me, then how will he troll? That means he has eyes on me, nice. I feel like trolling is not a good thing, but it is not such a bad thing either,” Prithvi said. “If people make memes on me, I see them as well. I sometimes get hurt.”
Fans target Shaw for dancing on social media
Fan reactions to Shaw dancing in a social media post attracted trolling from several users. He revealed his bewilderment at such reactions, as he was only dancing to celebrate his birthday:
“I was wondering what wrong have I done. I know if I am doing anything wrong. But if something is not wrong, it should be shown in that light,” he said.
Shaw won the under-19 World Cup as India’s captain and hopes fans will remember some of his great achievements before trolling him on social media.
Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals Decide to Not Buy Shaw at IPL 2025 Auction
Cricket fans expected two teams to place bids for Prithvi Shaw at auction – the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC).
Shaw hails from Mumbai and usually receives comparisons putting him at a similar level to greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. He has also been a part of Mumbai’s domestic team in recent seasons before his current woes began. Fans were expecting Mumbai to take a risk by buying Shaw at auction; however, MI decided against such a move.
Prithvi spent 7 seasons at DC before his current shut-out from all forms of competitive franchise or domestic cricket. The DC franchise’s overhaul has seen top figures including former captain Rishabh Pant move to other franchises.
“One Jolt Prithvi Needed” – Delhi Capitals Co-Owner
Parth Jindal (DC co-owner) pulled no punches while assessing Shaw’s current woes. He spoke in an interview stating how the cricketer needed a reality check:
“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 batsman in the world other than Sachin and Virat Kohli to own an MRF bat, that tells you a lot,” Jindal said.
Jindal believe Shaw grew up in an environment where comparisons to major cricketing figures may have affected his approach. He believes the jolt Prithvi needs is a complete shut-out while he works to return to his A-game for future seasons:
“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.”
