MUMBAI: Star opener Prithvi Shaw has decided to part ways with the Mumbai team and is set to represent another state as a ‘professional’ player. The 25-year-old formally approached the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Monday, requesting a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to facilitate the move. According to information received by TOI, Shaw is likely to join Mumbai’s neighbouring state side, Maharashtra.
In his letter to the MCA, Shaw wrote: "I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the 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 a part of the MCA setup, and I'm deeply grateful for the exposure and experience I have gained here.”
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Explaining his reasons for wanting to leave Mumbai, Shaw wrote: “At this juncture of 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.
“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."
"Please be assured that this decision has been made after careful consideration, and with utmost respect for the MCA. I remain ever grateful to the association for the guidance and platform provided over the years. I look forward to your kind consideration and a positive response," Shaw added in his letter.
In a statement, the MCA said that it "would like to inform that cricketer Prithvi Shaw had formally requested a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to represent another state as a professional player in the upcoming domestic season. After due consideration, the MCA has granted the NOC."
Speaking on the development, MCA secretary Abhay Hadap said, "Prithvi Shaw has been an exceptional talent and has contributed significantly to Mumbai cricket. We respect his decision and wish him the very best in his future endeavours."
The MCA concluded its statement by saying, "The MCA acknowledges and appreciates Prithvi's contributions over the years and extends best wishes for his continued success."
Shaw was dropped by the Mumbai senior selection committee last year from the Ranji Trophy due to poor fitness and lack of discipline and was prescribed a two-week fitness programme prepared by MCA trainers. Unhappy with his attitude towards fitness and practice, the team management had informed the MCA that Prithvi Shaw’s body contained 35 percent fat and that he needed rigorous training before he could stage a comeback to the Mumbai side.
It is learnt that Shaw had offers from a few states since last season, and after playing in the MCA's T20 Mumbai League earlier this month, he finally decided to move to Maharashtra.
Shaw made a comeback in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy last year but managed to score just 197 runs in nine matches at an average of 21.88 and a strike rate of 156.34, and was subsequently dropped for the Hazare Trophy. He last played for Mumbai in the SMAT final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Madhya Pradesh on December 15, 2024, scoring 10 in Mumbai’s five-wicket win.
Peeved after being dropped from the Mumbai Ranji team last season, Shaw had posted his List A record on social media at the time: “Tell me God, what more do I have to see.. if 65 innings, 3399 runs at an average of 55.7 with a strike rate of 126, I’m not good enough… but I will keep my faith in you and hopefully people believe in me still… cause I will come back for sure.. Om Sai Ram…”
In his last five games for Mumbai before being dropped, Shaw had scores of 32, 54, 39, 51, and 10.
In recent years, Shaw turned out for Northamptonshire in county cricket and did fairly well for them in the Metro Bank One-Day tournament. He last played List A cricket in India during the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
After Mumbai won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, beating Madhya Pradesh in Bengaluru last year, Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer had made a pertinent comment on Shaw: "He needs to get his work ethics right, and if he does that, the sky's the limit for him. We can’t babysit anyone, right? He has played so much of cricket. Everyone has given him inputs. At the end of the day, it’s his job to figure out things for himself. 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. He will get the answer by himself. No one can force him to do anything.”
Shaw suffered another big setback in his career when he didn’t find any buyers in the IPL 2024 auction held in October last year in Jeddah, despite setting a base price of Rs 75 lakh.
Rated as a highly talented batsman early in his career, Shaw made a sensational Test debut in 2018 at the age of 18, scoring 134 against the West Indies in Rajkot. He played the last of his five Tests (339 runs at 42.37, including two half-centuries) in Adelaide during the 2020 pink-ball Test. He has also featured in six ODIs and one T20 International, with his last white-ball appearance for India coming in July 2021.
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