Delhi have lost their opening two matches in the Indian Premier League 2024, having fallen to Punjab Kings in Mullanpur and Rajasthan at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur. Notably absent from both defeats was batter Prithvi Shaw, with Delhi instead went for Ricky Bhui and Abhishek Porel. However, neither selection provided the desired results.
Ricky Bhui’s recent poor form has drawn scrutiny, as he has scored just 3 runs in Delhi’s last two matches. Former cricketers Tom Moody and Wasim Jaffer were surprised on DC’s call to start with two uncapped batters instead of international batsman Prithvi Shaw. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Moody and Jaffer voiced their frustration, asserting that Delhi’s selection choice is illogical.
“It has no logic that an international player like Prithvi Shaw is on the sidelines. Although he hasn’t performed in the IPL as expected, keeping him benched prevents him from scoring any runs.”
In the preview of the clash against Rajasthan, DC’s director of cricket spoke about not choosing Shaw in the team.
“Prithvi Shaw is an opener, but we decided to open with Marsh and Warner since they have opened for Australia and play well together. Ricky Bhui is a middle-order batter, so he and Shaw bat in different positions in the lineup.” quoted Ganguly
Meanwhile, Wasim Jaffer was not pleased with Ganguly’s statement and said DC should have released Shaw instead of benching him
“I’m surprised DC is not playing him after deciding against releasing him into the player auction. He’s been fit and played most of the season for Mumbai. Punishing him by not selecting him and then losing games does not seem an effective strategy going forward.”
In 2023, Shaw scored 106 in 8 innings making it his worst IPL outing.