Ashutosh Sharma played a remarkable innings, scoring an unbeaten 66 runs off 31 balls, after Delhi Capitals found themselves in a precarious position at 66/5 while chasing a target of 209 runs. The match was filled with unexpected turns, but it was Ashutosh’s composed and powerful hitting during the final overs that ultimately secured victory for the Capitals. He contributed 35 runs out of the 61 required in the last five overs, leading the team to triumph with just one wicket remaining. In contrast to LSG’s innings, which featured aggressive batting from the outset, DC faced challenges but ultimately prevailed, thanks to Ashutosh’s aggressive performance.
Mitchell Marsh's and Nicholas Pooran's carnage with the Bat
The aggressive start was marked by his confrontation with Delhi Capitals’ key bowler and fellow Australian, Mitchell Starc, whom he struck for a six in the opening over. Following this, after Aiden Markram hit Starc for another six, Marsh targeted the onside boundary, scoring 21 runs in that over. In response to the barrage, Delhi Capitals opted to introduce a wrist-spinner early in the innings, and Vipraj Nigam succeeded in dismissing Markram, who was caught at long off, despite conceding boundaries. Overall, Lucknow was in a strong position after the powerplay, leaving Delhi Capitals to play catch-up.
The transition from the powerplay to the subsequent overs was seamless, as LSG intensified their attack with both Marsh and Nicholas Pooran finding their rhythm. Marsh reached a well-earned half-century off just 21 balls, while Pooran demonstrated his prowess by hitting Nigam for three sixes, despite being dropped once. Pooran was particularly destructive against spin, taking full command during the middle overs. The pair added 87 runs in just 42 balls before Marsh misplayed a shot against a slower delivery from Mukesh. This did not deter Pooran, who went on to hit Tristan Stubbs for four consecutive sixes and a four in the 13th over, achieving a half-century in just 24 balls. However, just as LSG appeared poised for an even greater assault, they lost both Rishabh Pant, who was dismissed for a duck, and Pooran, who fell to a reverse-swinging delivery from Starc, which hindered their momentum.
The fall of wickets in the latter stages of the innings, coupled with insufficient strength in the lower order, hindered LSG’s performance. Ayush Badoni was dismissed by Kuldeep while Mitchell Starc took two crucial wickets in the second-to-last over, which significantly disrupted LSG’s momentum. Nevertheless, David Miller remained not out until the conclusion of the innings, hitting two sixes off the final two deliveries, which provided a vital boost and pushed their total past 200. At one point, they appeared poised to reach 250, making the final overs a victory for the Delhi Capitals, despite the challenging total they faced.
Ashutosh Sharma excels in an uncertain innings
Shardul Thakur provided LSG with an excellent start by claiming two wickets in the opening over. He first dismissed Jake Fraser-McGurk with a slower delivery, followed by Abishek Porel, who misjudged a powerful shot. M Siddharth, serving as LSG’s impact player, then had Sameer Rizvi caught behind, putting DC in a precarious position. However, captain Axar Patel, alongside the seasoned Faf du Plessis, began to stabilize the innings. Siddharth conceded 15 runs in his subsequent over, while Shardul allowed 13 runs, allowing the chase to regain momentum. Just as they were finding their rhythm, Patel swept a delivery from Digvesh Rathi directly into the hands of a fielder at square leg.
DC experienced a resurgence during the middle overs, with Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, and Vipraj Nigam capitalizing on LSG’s depleted bowling attack. Following Du Plessis’s dismissal, Sharma and Stubbs formed a rapid partnership, adding 48 runs. Stubbs targeted M Siddharth, hitting him for consecutive sixes, but was bowled out with a new ball after the previous one was lost. Despite this setback, DC maintained their momentum as Vipraj quickly got into his stride. He aggressively attacked Ravi Bishnoi, scoring 16 runs in one over and 12 in the next from Shabaz Ahmed, leaving DC needing 61 runs in the final five overs.
The conclusion of the match was filled with dramatic moments. Nigam and Ashutosh scored 20 runs off Prince Yadav’s 16th over, but Nigam was dismissed shortly after while attempting a lap shot in the following over. LSG continued to respond with timely wickets, as Bishnoi took out Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav was run out due to a mix-up. Nevertheless, Ashutosh consistently cleared the boundary whenever he faced the ball. Immediately after Starc’s dismissal, he struck Bishnoi for three boundaries and similarly attacked Prince Yadav after Kuldeep’s exit. In the final over, with only six runs required, Mohit Sharma had a moment of fortune when he overbalanced and was struck on the pad by a turning delivery from Shabaz. The ball deflected past Pant, who failed to execute the stumping, and to Mohit’s relief, he was not given out LBW upon review. He calmly tapped a single the following ball to get Ashutosh back on strike who nonchalantly lofted his fifth six to seal the match.
SCORECARD: Lucknow Super Giants 209/8 (Nicholas Pooran 75, Mitchell Marsh 72; Mitchell Starc 3-42) lost to Delhi Capitals 211/9 (Ashutosh Sharma 66*; Shardul Thakur 2/19) by 1 wicket
