“Give Him Clarity”: Irfan Pathan’s Direct Message To Delhi Capitals Over Out-Of-Favour India Star Prithvi Shaw

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan hailed Delhi Capitals (DC) opener KL Rahul‘s consistency and backed Prithvi Shaw to be his opening associate for the season. KL shall be opening throughout the upcoming season of IPL, with DC set to start out their marketing campaign in opposition to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Lucknow on April 1. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan hailed KL as a “safest bank” who can rating 500 runs and provides his workforce good begins each season. He additionally added that whereas there may be at all times chatter round his strike price, it mustn’t matter so long as his workforce wins.

“KL Rahul is the safest bank to score 500 runs every season. He will always score runs and is capable of giving good starts consistently. He is undoubtedly one of the best players in this league. It is just that we sometimes talk about his strike rate, but as long as you win the match, you do not need to focus much on that,” he mentioned.

In the final season, KL was at his most aggressive in years, scoring 539 runs in 13 matches at a median of 53.90, with a strike price of just about 150, together with a century and three fifties. He was DC’s prime run-getter and total ninth-highest. He was additionally DC’s main six-hitter, with 21 maximums.

In 145 matches, KL has scored 5,222 runs in 136 innings of his IPL profession, which has seen him play for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), RCB, Punjab Kings and eventually DC. These runs have come at a median of 46.21 and a strike price of 136.02, together with 5 centuries and 40 fifties. He was the Orange Cap winner again within the 2020 season with PBKS, scoring 670 runs in 14 innings with a century and 5 fifties.

He shall be aiming to get as shut as potential to the 6,000-run mark, if not contact it. If he reaches this milestone, he would be the fifth batter after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner to succeed in the landmark. Currently, he’s the seventh-highest run-getter within the competitors’s historical past.

The former all-rounder additionally backed Shaw, who was purchased by DC for Rs 75 lakh after he went unsold within the public sale forward of the 2025 season, saying that after lacking out on a season, Shaw could be hungry and “will come to prove a point”. However, he urged the batter to not take an excessive amount of strain, because it at all times “leads one towards failure”.

“They got him at a very good price. He shifted to Maharashtra from Mumbai in domestic cricket. He was the highest run-scorer for Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Yes, he did not score in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but he seems to be in good form. I think those hungry players who went unsold last year always come with a point to prove. Prithvi Shaw will come to prove a point,” he mentioned.

“The hungry players who have gotten dropped are very excited, but along with that, they also put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform. This pressure always leads you towards failure,” Pathan mentioned.

“They have the option of Abhishek Porel, who has performed really well whenever he has gotten chances. He has contributed with quick 20s and 30s so far. But I think they should go with Prithvi Shaw and give him clarity about his role,” he signed off.

Shaw had a strong home season for Maharashtra after making a change from Mumbai forward of the season, scoring 537 runs in 11 Ranji Trophy innings at a median of 48.82 and a strike price of over 91, with a double hundred and three fifties to his title. He was the highest run-getter for Maharashtra within the competitors.

He additionally had strong outings within the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) and the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). In VHT, he made 193 runs in six innings at a median of 32.17, with a strike price of over 104, together with two fifties. In SMAT, he made 183 runs in seven innings at a median of 26.14, placing at over 160, with two fifties to his title.

Having not performed for India since 2021, Shaw shall be eyeing a superb season with DC, a franchise he represented from 2018 to 2024, scoring 1,892 runs in 79 innings at a median of just about 24 and a strike price of 147.46, with 14 fifties. His greatest rating is 99.