Prithvi Shaw’s return to the Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2026 is a vital opportunity for him to make his case for team India. Having endured frustrating consistency, Shaw is now at a crucial juncture in his career, seeking redemption after a difficult couple of seasons, both in the IPL and domestic cricket. During the 2023 and 2024 IPL seasons, he struggled to make a meaningful impact for Delhi Capitals, managing 304 runs across 16 innings. His lack of form eventually led to him being dropped midway through the 2024 season. And in the previous auction cycle, he went unsold. Ahead of IPL 2026, Prithvi Shaw spoke about how the break from top-level cricket helped him regain both physical and mental sharpness. According to him, stepping away allowed him to come back fresher and stronger.

"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,” said Shaw as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"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,” he added.

“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 concluded.

As Delhi Capitals gear up for their opening match of the tournament on April 1 at the Ekana Stadium, Prithvi Shaw is set to face stiff competition at the top of the order alongside Pathum Nissanka and Abhishek Porel to open the batting with KL Rahul.