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\u2014who has previously delivered well for the franchise\u2014has 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\u2019s Director of Cricket, Venugopal Rao, offered a blunt response when questioned about why Shaw has not been getting opportunities.<\/p>\n
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. \u201cResponsibility; when things fail as a batting unit, you need to take responsibility. I\u2019ll do it, rather than waiting for somebody else to do it. So, I think that is missing, I felt,\u201d he said during the post-match press conference. He then added, \u201cMaybe we will see in the next couple of games how this batting unit turns out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Venugopal was also asked about the team\u2019s 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\u2014Pathum Nissanka or KL Rahul\u2014if Shaw were to be brought in. \u201cAt the top of the order, whom do you want us to drop? Pathum or KL?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
On Axar Patel\u2019s 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. \u201cWe 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.\u201d He concluded by pointing to the overall match context, saying, \u201cObviously, when you look back at today\u2019s opposition, some of the seniors couldn\u2019t perform. So, we need to face the music,\u201d.<\/p>\n
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\u2014but it would require other results to go in their favour as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: DC Seek Answers as Prithvi Shaw Struggles","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"DC\u2019s fourth loss in five sparks questions over Prithvi Shaw\u2019s limited chances as Delhi\u2019s batting falters again in IPL 2026\u2014what\u2019s next?","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n