Prithvi Shawhas made a return to Delhi Capitals (DC) after going unsold in the Indian Premier League 2025 auction. The opener struggled for form in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, managing just 304 runs in 16 innings across the two editions. However, ahead of IPL 2026, Shaw stated that the break helped him come back mentally fresher and physically stronger.

He was dropped midway through IPL 2024 by Delhi Capitals and also lost his place in Mumbai’s domestic side during the 2024-25 season. Following this setback, Shaw switched teams and represented Maharashtra in the recent domestic season in an effort to revive his career.

"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.

At DC, Shaw will face competition from Pathum Nissanka and Abishek Porel for a spot at the top of the order alongside KL Rahul. DC last qualified for the playoffs in 2021 and finished fifth in the 2025 season. They are set to begin their 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on April 1.

“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.