Delhi Capitals are running out of roads. The play-offs are still theoretically within reach, but the margin for error has all but disappeared and the decisions made in the coming days could define their entire season.
Friday’s clash with Kolkata Knight Riders isn’t exactly a must-win. But it’s close enough that the difference barely matters.
And amid all the pressure, one question refuses to go away: is now finally the time to hand over the game to Prithvi Shaw?
A man who never really got going
There is almost something poetic and painful about Shaw’s story. He arrived in senior cricket with everything in between. The footwork, the instinct, the swagger in the box that you just can’t coach. It looked like the real deal, and for a while it was.
But somewhere it all got complicated. Discipline questioned, form slipping, a sense that a generational talent has slowly slipped through the cracks. Now at a stage in his career where every opportunity feels like it could be his last in the IPL, Shaw has not played a single match for Delhi this season.
There was a quiet optimism about DC bringing him back to where it all started. A second chance at the franchise that first believed in him. That chance hasn’t come yet.
The case for and against
It is perfectly fair to wonder why Shaw over Abishek Porel. In DC’s last match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Porel was the only batsman to feature. He played with freedom and purpose on a day when almost everyone else was moving. He also offers something increasingly valuable in T20 cricket: a right-left combination at the top of the order that keeps the opposition guessing.
But the argument for Shaw is less about statistics and more about psychology.
When the team is struggling and morale is low, sometimes what you need isn’t the safest option. You need a spark. Shaw, for all his recent struggles, is a player who genuinely wants to prove people wrong. That kind of hunger, that desire to succeed, can be contagious in a locker room that desperately needs something to rally around. It is fair to say that Shaw may not have shown the same hunger for success as many other generational talents we have seen in Indian cricket.
But the situation shows that the current combination is clearly not working. The top order has been the biggest problem and if Pathum Nissanka comes through, Shaw going up top will allow David Miller to slot into the middle order where his big game experience is worth its weight in gold. Bowling was decent enough. It’s batting that needs fixing and it needs fixing now.
What does DC actually need to do
The math is simple, though the execution is anything but. Delhi need to win all their remaining matches, win as many as possible and hope results elsewhere break in their favour.
That’s a tall order when you look at what’s coming. After KKR on Friday, DC will travel to Dharamsala to take on Punjab Kings before returning home to take on Rajasthan Royals before finishing with another trip to face KKR at the Eden Gardens. No gifts. No soft touches. Just four games against sides who all have a lot to play for.
Bowling lasts most days. This part of the team has shown enough quality to keep Delhi competitive. But if the top order keeps making mistakes, none of that will matter.
Bottom line
Delhi Capitals need to get going. No restructuring, no philosophical shift, just something different. Something that tells the locker room that the season isn’t over yet.
Maybe that something is Prithvi Shaw. Maybe it isn’t. But as the playoffs faded game by game, playing it safe was no longer an option.
Sometimes you have to roll the dice.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
08 May 2026 11:32 IST
