Prithvi Shaw, who shockingly went unsold in last year’s IPL auction, made a dramatic return to relevance after triggering a heated bidding war at Ravichandran Ashwin’s IPL 2026 mock auction. The official auction is scheduled for December 16 in Abu Dhabi, but Ashwin’s event has already sparked excitement — and perhaps even a prediction of Shaw’s real auction value.

📉 From Going Unsold to Going Viral

In 2025, Shaw found zero takers at his base price of ₹75 lakh, despite earning ₹7.50 crore from Delhi Capitals just a year earlier. Concerns over his fitness, inconsistency, and questions about discipline had pushed franchises away.

But the snub turned into motivation.

Shaw lost weight, changed domestic teams, and most importantly, started scoring heavily again — forcing his name back into the conversation ahead of IPL 2026.

💥 Mock Auction Chaos: Shaw Sparks Bidding Battle

Ashwin’s mock auction began with Shaw listed as a capped Indian player at his base price of ₹75 lakh. What followed surprised everyone:

• Bengaluru made the opening bid

• Delhi joined in, pushing it all the way to ₹2 crore before Bengaluru backed out

• Lucknow entered the race as Delhi exited at ₹4 crore

• Kolkata jumped in soon after

• Lucknow withdrew at ₹5 crore

Finally, Kolkata “bought” Prithvi Shaw for ₹5.25 crore in the mock setup.

🔍 Will This Happen in the Real Auction?

Shaw is part of the marquee set for the real IPL 2026 mini-auction, meaning franchises will definitely look at him — especially after his recent turnaround.

But will the same teams bid this aggressively on December 16?

That remains the big question.

For now, Ashwin’s mock auction has revived Shaw’s name — and shown that the young opener might still have solid demand in the upcoming season.