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New Delhi: After initially going unsold in the Indian Premier League (2026) auction, Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw were handed late lifelines by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals. Both batters were once touted as the next-gen superstars, but went out of favour due to some common and some uncommon reasons.
For Sarfaraz, the 2026 edition will be his first IPL appearance since the 2023 season, while Shaw returns to the cash-rich league after going unsold in the mega-auction last year.
Sarfaraz entered the auction hours after scoring a blazing 15-ball fifty in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He celebrated the landmark by dropping to the turf to do push-ups and eventually amassed 77 off just 22 balls.
But, despite his sensational knock, he went unsold in the first round, sparking fears of a third successive year without featuring in the IPL. However, Chennai Super Kings handed the Mumbai batter a lifeline by picking him for a base price of Rs 75 lakh.
The much-needed move brought a sense of relief for the 27-year-old cricketer, especially after the challenging past few months. He has fallen out of favour dramatically despite making a decent start to his Test career in 2024, having been left out of India’s Test squads throughout 2025. The international rejection in the face of consistent performances in the domestic circuit left him frustrated, perplexed, but determined to improve.
Sarfaraz didn't lose hope and started working on his fitness, shedding close to five kilograms ahead of the 2025-26 domestic season. With new energy came glowing results. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Sarfaraz has scored 329 runs in seven matches at an astonishing strike rate of 203.08 and an average of 65.80.
While he has found a new IPL home, it will be interesting to see how the Chennai Super Kings will fit him in their playing XI in the presence of a top order including Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel and new signing Kartik Sharma, who landed a Rs 14.2 crore deal with the Yello Army. CSK also bagged the services of left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Prashant Veer for Rs 14.2 crore, with both players becoming the joint-most expensive uncapped players.
While Sarfaraz was picked up in the second round, Shaw, on the other hand, looked dead and buried until the Delhi Capitals brought him back to the franchise with a base price deal of Rs 75 lakh. Shaw, who was released by the Capitals two years ago, was handed a lifeline in the last accelerated round. During his seven seasons with Delhi Capitals following India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2018, Shaw failed to live up to his billing and went unsold at the 2025 mega auction.
Shaw had a massive fall from grace last year when he was making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Battling poor form and disciplinary issues, Shaw's career went on a downward spiral to the extent of extinction.
Determined to bounce back, Shaw left Mumbai to join Maharashtra to play the domestic circuit and made a decent start in the Ranji Trophy, showing sparks of his brilliance.
Who knows, the new lease of life might be the start of something special for the prodigiously talented batters who, perhaps, have the final chance to redeem their unfulfilled careers.
