Delhi Capitals began their IPL 2026 campaign with a crucial win over Gujarat Titans, but former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes they should consider bringing Prithvi Shaw back into the playing XI as an opener against Mumbai Indians. DC went with KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka at the top in their season opener, leaving Shaw on the bench. However, the decision didn’t quite pay off, with both openers struggling during a tricky chase. Meanwhile, Shaw is making his return to the IPL after missing last season, as DC showed renewed faith in him despite releasing him ahead of IPL 2025, the year he went unsold at the mega auction.
Shaw showed decent touch in the domestic circuit, putting together useful runs in both the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored 193 runs across six innings in the 50-over competition at an average of 32.17, striking at over 100, with two half-centuries. In the T20 tournament, he managed 183 runs from seven outings, averaging 26.14 and scoring at a brisk rate above 160, again registering two fifties. Out of the India set-up since 2021, Shaw will be keen to make this season count with Delhi Capitals. He previously represented the franchise from 2018 to 2024, amassing 1,892 runs in 79 innings at an average close to 24 and a strike rate of 147.46, including 14 fifties, with a highest score of 99.
Pathan made a strong case for Prithvi Shaw’s inclusion, insisting the opener should be part of the playing XI.
“Play Prithvi Shaw. It is very important to include him. But Delhi might go towards Pathum Nissanka. In my team, either Prithvi Shaw or Abhishek Porel would be there. I would definitely go with Prithvi Shaw,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
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“Mumbai will have to plan a lot of matchups against KL Rahul”
Weighing up the key battle in the contest, Pathan pointed to the challenge ahead for KL Rahul, noting that his approach would be tested against a quality Mumbai Indians attack featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Hardik Pandya and Allah Ghazanfar.
“We know how KL Rahul can play, but the question is, what kind of bowling is he up against? You have Boult, you have Hardik, you have Bumrah, you have Allah Ghazanfar. There is real quality in that bowling attack, and Bumrah is always a trump card. So here, I feel Mumbai will have to plan a lot of matchups against KL Rahul, because you won’t find a better batter than him in this entire batting unit,” he added.
