Prithvi Shaw finds clarity after season away from IPL, eyes fresh start in 2026 edition
Prithvi Shaw returned to Delhi Capitals for IPL 2026 after a difficult phase marked by poor form and setbacks in domestic cricket. Following a break to reset mentally and physically, he now looks to compete for an opening spot and rebuild his career.
A return to familiar colours brings renewed purpose for Prithvi Shaw, who is back with Delhi Capitals for IPL 2026 after going unsold in the previous auction cycle. Across the 2023 and 2024 IPL seasons, Shaw managed 304 runs from 16 innings, which showed his dip in form and that eventually resulted in his exit. His form eventually worsened in domestic cricket, which led to his exclusion from the Mumbai side in the 2024-25 season.
One of Mumbai’s captains, Shreyas Iyer, publicly remarked that Shaw needed to improve his discipline and approach to be back in the squad. However, soon after that, the 26-year-old quit Mumbai cricket and signed for Maharashtra, signalling a reset in his cricket journey. Speaking on the journey to rediscover himself, Shaw noted that he enjoyed life, worked hard on his game and prepared himself mentally to be back.
I am a human being, I will make mistakes: Shaw
“I enjoyed my life a lot. I went to a couple of destinations to refresh my mind a little. Then I came back [and followed] the same routine: I practised, worked hard. Whether it was training or batting, what I used to do, I started doing three times. And I think it was a good break for me. I can't say that I took a step back. I needed that break to make myself mentally strong,” Shaw said on the sidelines of DC’s intra-squad practice match on Thursday.
The break appears to have offered more than physical recovery, with Shaw indicating a shift in mindset shaped by stepping away from external scrutiny.
"I am a human being; I will make mistakes. Obviously, whatever is written or spoken out there, they know only half of it. My family knows me… My friends know in and out about me. In social media or in the papers, whenever good or bad things used to come [about me], I was very young [to understand them], obviously. Everytime you see [such stuff], you come [back for more]. So I stopped seeing them.
"Those things were used to keep me away from all these things [related to cricket]. I had belief in myself. Because I know where I have come from, how hard I have worked. Mistakes are made by humans… It's okay, move ahead. All that is history, and it happened many years ago... I feel [now] is the time when mentally I get a lot of happiness to come to the ground,” Shaw added.
At Delhi, Shaw faces competition for a spot at the top of the order alongside Pathum Nissanka Abishek Porel and Sahil Parakh. KL Rahul is already confirmed as the other opener. Notably, the team opens its campaign against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on April 1 at the Ekana Stadium.
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