Why is Prithvi Shaw not in DC's playing 11 vs RR in today's IPL 2023 match?

Delhi Capitals (DC) made a slew of changes in their playing XI for their clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on Saturday, April 8.

However, the one change that set eyeballs rolling was the dropping of opener Prithvi Shaw, with Manish Pandey replacing him.

Despite not being named in the playing XI, the dashing right-hander was named as part of the Impact substitutes.

Having lost their first two matches convincingly, DC also made other changes, with Mitchell Marsh and Sarfaraz Khan being replaced by Romvan Powell and Lalit Yadav, respectively.

Marsh missed out as he returned to Australia for his wedding, while Sarfaraz has been dropped thanks to Abishek Porel's performance as a wicketkeeper-batter in the last match.

Prithvi Shaw has been an integral part of the franchise over the last five years and performed credibly in last year's IPL, scoring 283 runs at an average of 28.30. However, he has struggled thus far this season, with just 19 runs in the two matches.

Despite not being named in the playing XI, Shaw came on as an Impact substitute in DC's batting innings. The youngster endured another miserable outing with the bat, getting out for a three-ball duck in the first.

---

"You might see something different from us" - DC fast bowling coach James Hopes ahead of the RR clash.

Bowling coach James Hopes hinted at DC trying something different to find the right balance.

Ahead of the crucial match against the Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals' fast bowling coach James Hopes hinted that the side could possibly trying something different to achieve the right balance due to a lack of all-round depth.

He said the absence of Mitchell Marsh meant that the side would have to use the impact player option to attain depth in batting and bowling.

"All the teams have been a little bit different on how they are doing it. Unfortunately we do not have the all-round depth to have seven-eight bowling options in our team. So we can either use the Impact Player to strengthen our batting but our bowling at the moment."

The former Australian all-rounder continued:

"If we bring in six genuine bowling options without Mitch Marsh here, it will weaken our batting significantly. Even in bowl-first, bat-first scenarios. So tomorrow you might see something a bit different from us."

Despite their best efforts, the Capitals found themselves in deep trouble again as they stared down a third consecutive defeat.

After winning the toss and bowling first, the Capitals conceded a massive 199-4 to the Royals. In reply, they lost openers Prithvi Shaw and Manish Pandey for ducks to Trent Boult in the very first over of the innings.

At the time of writing, the Capitals were 20/2 in four overs, with skipper David Warner and South African dasher Riley Russow at the crease.