Delhi Capitals\u2019 search for a reliable batting partner alongside KL Rahul has continued to produce problems in the Indian Premier League 2026. Rahul has been delivering consistently, but Pathum Nissanka has struggled to contribute meaningful runs so far. In his first seven appearances for the franchise, the Sri Lankan batter managed 147 runs, striking at an average of 21.<\/p>\n
With the opening combination still not settling, DC made a switch by giving a debut to 18-year-old Sahil Parakh. However, the change did not immediately pay off, as Parakh registered a two-ball duck in his very first IPL game.<\/p>\n
As DC continue to grapple with the same selection puzzle, former India spinner Murali Kartik voiced his surprise that the team has not explored the option of using Prithvi Shaw, who has been sitting on the bench. Kartik pointed out that Shaw, a right-handed top-order batter, had made his Delhi Capitals debut in 2018 and subsequently played seven straight seasons for the side.<\/p>\n
He also highlighted Shaw\u2019s recent journey: after being released by DC, Shaw received no bids at the IPL 2025 auction. Ahead of the 2026 season, though, DC brought him back at his base price of Rs 75 lakh.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am surprised because they haven\u2019t even looked at Prithvi Shaw this season. Earlier also we were discussing whether he could play in place of Pathum Nissanka, because you get an aggressive opener. You have picked him for a reason. If you have picked him forgetting the past issues, it\u2019s surprising you are not playing him,\u201d Kartik said.<\/p>\n
Axar Patel addressed the mindset shift directly, suggesting that even strong collective work did not translate into the kind of defending they needed after the earlier result. \u201cI think because of what happened in the last game, I felt that even after doing so much as a team, you can win 9 out of 10 times, but after that, it felt like we could not defend back-to-back. I feel there was some hesitation because of that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Delhi Capitals will look to reset their campaign when they face Rajasthan Royals in their next match at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Delhi Capitals\u2019 search for a reliable batting partner alongside KL Rahul has continued to produce problems in the Indian Premier League 2026. Rahul has been…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: DC vs Nissanka Woes, KL Rahul Support Needed","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026 update: Delhi Capitals face pressure as Pathum Nissanka\u2019s poor form persists, with KL Rahul support and team changes under scrutiny.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n