Prithvi Shaw's cryptic three-word Instagram story sends social media abuzz as fans expect IPL comeback

Prithvi Shaw wasn't selected by any IPL team in the 2025 auction, providing another setback in his career. Shaw shared a mysterious message to his Instagram.

Indian batter Prithvi Shaw continues to hunt for a chance at a comeback to cricket, currently missing an IPL season for the first time since his debut in 2018 after failing to find a buyer at the IPL 2025 auction. On Wednesday, Shaw posted a cryptic message to his Instagram story, with fans left to wonder what the Mumbai batter was suggesting through it.

Prithvi Shaw's seven-year spell with Delhi Capitals came to an end as he wasn't retained, and no franchise bid for him at the 2025 IPL auction.(AP)

Shaw posted a simple three-word message on his story, simply writing: “Need a break,” along with an emoji. Shaw last played competitive top-level cricket during Mumbai’s victorious Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign in December, participating in the final as his team lifted the trophy against Madhya Pradesh.

Fans took to social media to react to Shaw’s post.

The batter is seen as one of the big what-ifs in recent Indian cricket history. Having made a name for himself in youth-level cricket through the Mumbai system, Shaw made his India debut at the age of 18, scoring a century in his first Test match against West Indies. Shaw was India’s youngest Test centurion behind only Sachin Tendulkar, but Shaw’s career didn’t pan out quite the same way as discipline and fitness issues proved to be obstacles to his immense talent.

Shaw remains in domestic circuit

Shaw missed out on an IPL roster spot after being a consistent fixture of Delhi Capitals from 2018 to 2024, a period in which he scored 1892 IPL runs at a strong rate at the top of the order. Despite access to opening partners such as Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner, Shaw’s promise never translated to consistency. A falling out with coach Ricky Ponting in 2024 led to Shaw being dropped, despite a strong start to the IPL season last year.

Nevertheless, Shaw’s supreme talent and his ability to impact games from the top of the order have led to questions regarding whether any team would be willing to take a chance on the Mumbai youngster. Shaw remains a part of Mumbai’s white ball squads in domestic cricket, and has also had success in white-ball English domestic cricket while representing Northamptonshire in the English One-Day Cup. This included a score of 244 in 2023, which stands as the sixth-highest individual score in the history of List A cricket.