"By keeping him for ₹75 lakh, you are wasting his time"- Aakash Chopra urges DC to release opener ahead of IPL 2027 auction

Former India batter Aakash Chopra has advised the Delhi Capitals (DC) to release Prithvi Shaw ahead of the IPL 2027 auction if they do not plan to utilize his services. According to Chopra, DC will be wasting Shaw's time by retaining him and not making him play.

Shaw was purchased by DC at the IPL 2026 auction for his base price of ₹75 lakh. He was earlier part of the Delhi franchise from 2018 to 2024. He was retained by DC for ₹7.5 crore ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.

The retention deadline for IPL franchises ahead of the auction is November 17. During a discussion on his YouTube channel, Chopra shared his views on Shaw and commented:

"If you feel like playing Prithvi Shaw, then keep him. Otherwise, let that guy go. This is a serious one. By keeping him for ₹75 lakh, you are wasting his time. So I would say just release him."

The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star also urged DC to release their ₹8.4 crore buy Aaqib Nabi so that they can have decent funds to strengthen their fast bowling department. He elaborated:

"Aaqib Nabi is ₹8.4 crore. So, I will release him first because releasing him will also release a lot of money. You need that money to buy some players or you exchange him with someone. You have a problem that you need to address. You need more fast bowlers. Indian fast bowlers are Mukesh Kumar and Aaqib Nabi and Madhav Tiwari. Your weaknesses are visible in fast bowling.

"Talk to Gujarat. They have a lot of fast bowlers or Lucknow. They have a lot of fast bowlers. Both of them need middle order batters, which you can give in exchange for fast bowlers," he added.

Nabi played five matches for DC in IPL 2026, but did not claim a single wicket and had an economy rate of 11.46. Mukesh played 10 matches and claimed six wickets at an economy rate of 11.26.

DC failed to make the playoffs in IPL 2026

Led by Axar Patel in IPL 2026, DC failed to make the playoffs. They finished in sixth place, with seven wins and as many losses. In IPL 2025, they failed to make the playoffs despite a great start and finished in fifth place.

DC are yet to win the IPL. They finished runners-up in 2020. The franchise will hope for a change in fortunes with Sourav Ganguly taking over as head coach and Yuvraj Singh as assistant coach.

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