Prithvi Shaw will not line up for Mumbai when the 2025-26 domestic summer begins. The 25-year-old opener has obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Mumbai Cricket Association and is free to register with another state side before squad lists close later in the year.
“At this juncture in my career, I have been presented with a promising opportunity to play professional cricket under another State Association, which I believe will further contribute to my growth and development as a cricketer,” Shaw wrote in his formal request to the MCA. “In light of this, I kindly request you to issue me a no-objection certificate (NOC) that will enable me to officially represent the new state association in the upcoming domestic season.”
He added his thanks to the association that has nurtured him since age-group cricket: “I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for the valuable opportunities and unwavering support extended to me during my time representing the association. It has truly been an honour and a privilege to be part of the MCA set-up, and I am deeply grateful for the exposure and experience I have gained here.”
MCA secretary Abhay Hadap confirmed on Monday afternoon that the paperwork has gone through. Neither the player nor the board has revealed which state is taking him, though indications are that at least two sides from the Plate division have sounded him out.
Shaw’s departure is not entirely unexpected. He was left out of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad midway through last season after concerns over fitness and punctuality. His most recent outing for Mumbai came in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final on 14 December 2024 – a five-wicket win over Madhya Pradesh in which he made a skittish 17.
The issues have cost him elsewhere. He went unsold at the IPL mega auction in December, despite being available at a base price of INR 50 lakh. Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer did not mince words when asked if Shaw could still turn things round. “He needs to get his work ethics right, and if he does that, the sky is the limit for him,” Iyer said in Bengaluru after that SMAT final. “We can’t babysit anyone, right? Every professional who is playing at this level, they need to know what they should be doing. And he has also done it in the past; it’s not that he hasn’t. He has to focus, he has to sit back, put a thinking cap on, and then figure out himself. He will get the answer by himself.”
From a purely cricketing angle, the move makes sense. Mumbai’s top order is congested: Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to be available for at least part of the red-ball campaign, while Ajinkya Rahane and Sarfaraz Khan provide experience in the middle. Another state, perhaps with a younger batting group, can offer Shaw the extended run he clearly wants.
The batter’s next employer will also inherit a project. Shaw’s stroke-making still thrills, but his first-class average has slipped under 44, and his last hundred in any format came 18 months ago. If a new environment – and possibly a quieter dressing-room – gets him back to the basics of conditioning, footwork and sustained concentration, both player and team could benefit.
Whatever the outcome, he leaves Mumbai with 10 first-class centuries, a Vijay Hazare Trophy double-ton, and, of course, that break-out 134 against the West Indies on Test debut. These are serious numbers for someone still mid-twenties. The next few months will show whether the talent can be repackaged – and, crucially, re-disciplined – for the long haul.
