Delhi Capitals have once again struggled to find consistency as a group, suffering their fourth defeat in the last five outings and effectively seeing their campaign head towards an end. Although there is no single department that has been the only problem for the Capitals, the limited chances being afforded to players such as Prithvi Shaw—who has previously delivered well for the franchise—has raised eyebrows, particularly as the batting unit has failed to make an impact often enough. With skipper Axar Patel suggesting that changes could be made over the remaining trio of matches, the franchise’s Director of Cricket, Venugopal Rao, offered a blunt response when questioned about why Shaw has not been getting opportunities.
Asked about what he views as the biggest issues inside the team right now, Venugopal did not hesitate to place responsibility directly on the players. He said that when the side fails with the bat, it is on the batting group to own up and react, rather than waiting for someone else to take charge. “Responsibility; when things fail as a batting unit, you need to take responsibility. I’ll do it, rather than waiting for somebody else to do it. So, I think that is missing, I felt,” he said during the post-match press conference. He then added, “Maybe we will see in the next couple of games how this batting unit turns out.”
Venugopal was also asked about the team’s decision to essentially deny a single opportunity to Prithvi Shaw. Shaw has shown his ability both for the franchise and for the Indian national team in the past, making the call a talking point among supporters and observers. However, the DC Director of Cricket responded sharply by questioning who should be left out of the current top order—Pathum Nissanka or KL Rahul—if Shaw were to be brought in. “At the top of the order, whom do you want us to drop? Pathum or KL?” he asked.
On Axar Patel’s captaincy and recent form, Venugopal acknowledged that it is painful to see a World Cup-winning figure go through such a difficult stretch. Even so, he stressed that he is still backing the skipper. “We always want a captain, a person like him who has been in two World Cup-winning squads, coming into this tournament. Regarding his form, we definitely always want him to do well. Somewhere, I think, he lost his form. I hope he comes back in the next three games. So, it hurt.” He concluded by pointing to the overall match context, saying, “Obviously, when you look back at today’s opposition, some of the seniors couldn’t perform. So, we need to face the music,”.
Despite the mounting pressure, Delhi Capitals remain in the IPL 2026 playoff conversation on mathematical grounds. They have recorded four wins from eleven matches, and still have three fixtures left in the league stage. If they manage to win all three remaining games, they will keep a slim pathway open to qualification—but it would require other results to go in their favour as well.
