IPL 2024: Sourav Ganguly Reveals Reason Behind Not Playing Prithvi Shaw in DC’s First Game

To the surprise of many, the Delhi Capitals (DC) decided to bench the explosive opener Prithvi Shaw in their first encounter against Punjab Kings, sparking speculation about the reasons behind the move.

The director of cricket of Delhi Capitals, Sourav Ganguly, has provided the reasoning behind this move. Ganguly justified this move, citing the proven success of Mitchell Marsh and David Warner’s partnership in Australian white-ball cricket.

“Prithvi Shaw is an opener. We decided to open with Marsh and Warner, and Ricky Bhui is a middle-order batter. So they bat at different positions. So it’s not Bhui for sure. It’s a different opening combination; they opened for Australia, and they have done well together. So we decided to do that,” Ganguly said during a pre-match conference, as quoted by India Today.

Ganguly also conceded that Shaw’s insufficient preparation time with Delhi Capitals played a role in the decision to bench him. It’s worth mentioning that Shaw suffered a knee ligament injury during his county cricket stint in England last year, which kept him out of action for quite some time.

“To be honest, we did not get much of Prithvi Shaw in the camp. Unfortunately, he was injured for a long time. After he went to England for the county stint in Northamptonshire where he played exceptionally well and tore his ligament in the knee, we couldn’t get him till February. After he came back to fitness, he played Ranji Trophy,” Ganguly added.