"He has got to change the way he goes about his business" - Brad Hogg feels Ricky Ponting will have to address Prithvi Shaw's role for DC in IPL 2024

Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg has opined that tackling Prithvi Shaw's lack of runs for the Delhi Capitals (DC) will be high on the priority list of head coach Ricky Ponting ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).

The opening batter had a horrid 2023 campaign for the franchise, scoring only 106 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 124.71.

While Shaw found some form after the IPL season through a short county stint with Northamptonshire, his purple patch was cut short following a major knee injury. He recently returned to action, representing Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, where he struck a hundred and a fifty in the domestic side's winning campaign.

"Ponting will firstly address Prithvi Shaw's form. He is not living up to his expectations at the moment. He has got to change the way he goes about his business, he has got to gain confidence and Ponting will be really working on that with his strategy for the first six overs. If he can turn things around and compliment Warner, then the middle order can come into play," Brad Hogg said on his YouTube channel.

Another area where DC will be focused on is their lower-middle order. While they do have Axar Patel as a prime candidate, they need more candidates as finishers, especially with Rovman Powell moving to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) during the IPL 2024 mini-auction.

The franchise had initially planned on Harry Brook playing the finisher's role, coming in at No. 6. However, the Englishman has withdrawn from the upcoming season due to personal reasons, forcing DC to look for alternatives.

Hogg opines that DC have the answer in the form of their young stars - Kumar Kushagra and Jake Fraser-McGurk.

"DC's potent force in the final four overs is going to be Kumar Kushagra and Jake Fraser-McGurk. Whatever you are going to dish up against these youngsters in the final phase of an innings, these two are going to deliver. Two youngsters that have got nothing to lose are going to make the difference of this DC side," Hogg said

Kushagra was roped in by DC for a staggering amount of ₹7.2 crore, emerging as one of the most surprising acquisitions at the IPL 2024 mini-auction. Jake Fraser-McGurk, on the other hand, was recently announced as a replacement player for the injured Lungi Ngidi.

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"I will not be surprised if they win IPL 2024" - Brad Hogg on DC's chances

The Delhi Capitals had a prolific spell from 2018 to 2021, where they qualified for the playoffs for four consecutive seasons, even making it to the finals in 2020, losing to the Mumbai Indians (MI). The shake-up during the 2022 mega-auction impacted them in a big way, as they lost the services of Shreyas Iyer, Avesh Khan, Shikhar Dhawan, and Kagiso Rabada among others.

After a couple of poor seasons, where they failed to qualify for the playoffs, DC look like a settled unit once again, which according to Hogg, can go all the way in the 2024 season.

"DC will finish in the top four and I will not be surprised if they win IPL 2024," Hogg concluded

The Rishabh Pant-led side will begin their IPL 2024 campaign with an away contest against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Saturday, March 23, which also marks the first afternoon encounter of the season.