NEW DELHI: This IPL season is as good as over for Delhi Capitals and Prithvi Shaw. The regular first XI players didn't even show up for training on the eve of their match against Punjab Kings here.
Prithvi spent an hour in the nets under the supervision of Capitals team director Sourav Ganguly before walking over to the Kings camp to spend another half an hour with their captain Shikhar Dhawan.
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For once, the discussion between Dhawan and Prithvi looked more intense than perhaps any of the ones they have previously had. Dhawan put an arm around Prithvi, gave him a tight hug and then let him go for another stint in the nets.
Dhawan's team, too, is hanging by a thread in the competition. Both teams have experienced disappointment with their young domestic talent. Prithvi's failure, along with that of Sarfaraz Khan, is an indication of inconsistency plaguing domestic batters in the IPL.
This has put the spotlight back on India's domestic structure. The transition from domestic to IPL-class cricket has been disconcerting for most. "It's about temper", Jaffer, Punjab Kings batting coach, said.
It's tough to put a finger on why the transition is so difficult. Capitals' assistant coach Pravin Amre talked about putting in more effort to prepare. But there's a problem with the quality of bowlers playing in the domestic circuit.
1/10:DC vs PBKS IPL 2023: Delhi face desperate Punjab at Kotla
2/10:Delhi to play for pride
<p>All but out of play-off reckoning, Delhi Capitals will expect a more purposeful approach from its Indian batting unit as it plays for pride against Punjab Kings in a 12th round IPL match in Delhi on Saturday.<br /></p>AFP
3/10:DC are staring at an unceremonious exit
<p>With four wins in 11 games, DC are staring at an unceremonious exit as winning the next three matches will only take them to 14 points, which might not be enough to earn them a place in the top four, leaving their fate in the hands of other teams.<br /></p>ANI
4/10:Hardly any contribution from DC's Indian batters
<p>The specialist Indian batters have hardly contributed and it has all been about either skipper David Warner, keeper-batter Phil Salt or all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who have given the team some momentum with willow.<br /></p>AP
5/10:DC middle-order lacks killer punch
<p>The likes of Manish Pandey, Ripal Patel and Aman Hakim Khan have lacked the killer punch as they have not been able to change their game according to the match situation. The inability of the middle-order to rotate the strike or find big hits has put paid to their hopes.<br /><br /><br /></p>PTI
6/10:Warner struggles in the last five innings
<p>Skipper Warner, who looked good during the first half of the season, has struggled in the last five innings with single digit scores in three of them. Salt sizzled with two whirlwind innings but he also was dismissed cheaply in three matches, including two ducks.<br /></p>IANS
7/10:Marsh delivers with ball but not with bat
<p>Marsh exploded once against Sunrisers Hyderabad with the bat but couldn't do much in the rest. However, the Australian has chipped in with regular wickets in the last three games.<br /></p>IANS
8/10:DC bowlers have performed better
<p>The bowlers have fared better with spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav bowling a good line, while pacers Ishant Sharma and Khaleel Ahmed getting wickets most times. The absence of speedster Anrich Nortje, who had to return home due to personal reasons, however, was felt in the last match.<br /></p>IANS
9/10:Must-win game for Punjab
<p>Punjab Kings, with 10 points from 11 games, too are looking at a must-win game, following back-to-back defeats against Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively.<br /><br /><br /></p>PTI
10/10:Rinku dents Punjab's hopes
<p>Punjab had a chance to get into top 3 in their last game but it was Rinku Singh, who slammed a four in the last delivery to dent Punjab's hopes as they entered the must-win zone with three games to go.<br /><br /><br /></p>IANSA majority of them stay busy with India and NCA programmes while a lot of the IPL bowlers are mostly nursing injuries.
"That could be a reason. There needs to be a case study on this. With 10 teams now, there are a lot of players picked by IPL teams. That can be an opportunity for the players," Amre said.
On Saturday, though, all these young boys will have Dhawan to look up to. He has set the benchmark when it comes to slogging it out in domestic cricket and then graduating to the bigger league.
