Ashutosh Sharma showcased his brilliance with an unbeaten 66 off just 31 deliveries, leading the Delhi Capitals to a remarkable one-wicket triumph over the Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2025 season opener at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.

Facing a formidable target of 210, the Capitals found themselves in dire straits at 8 for 3 and later at 139 for 7. However, Ashutosh’s aggressive batting turned the tide, securing a memorable victory for DC.

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The Lucknow Super Giants started strong, thanks to explosive innings from Mitchell Marsh (72 off 36) and Nicholas Pooran (75 off 30). Marsh targeted his fellow Australian bowler Mitchell Starc, hammering 20 runs in just four balls. The pair combined for an impressive 87 runs off only 42 deliveries, placing LSG in a commanding position at the innings midpoint.

Nevertheless, DC’s bowlers fought back in the closing overs, restricting LSG to a score of 209 for 8. Starc took revenge by dismissing Pooran, while Mukesh Kumar, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav effectively limited the damage. In the final seven overs, LSG could only manage 49 runs, losing six wickets in the process.

Shardul Thakur, who initially went unsold at the auction and was set to play for county cricket with Essex, made his way into LSG’s lineup as an injury replacement for Mohsin Khan. He made an immediate impact in his first over, taking down Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abhishek Porel, leaving DC reeling at 8 for 3. Although Sameer Rizvi demonstrated some flair with a beautiful cover drive, he soon fell to M Siddharth, leaving DC in dire straits at 45 for 3 after five overs.

While DC struggled, captain Axar Patel and veteran Faf du Plessis built a partnership that provided some stability. They guided the team past the 50-run mark before the spinners from LSG, Digvesh Rathi and Ravi Bishnoi struck swiftly. Axar was out sweeping Rathi, and Bishnoi cleaned up du Plessis for 38, leaving DC at 87 for 5 and facing a challenging climb ahead.

Just as DC sought to turn the game around, Tristan Stubbs (36 off 22) hit two massive sixes off Siddharth, bringing down the required run rate. However, Siddharth bowled a perfect delivery that clipped the top of Stubbs’ off stump, leaving DC at 139 for 7, with LSG appearing to have the advantage.

Then came Ashutosh Sharma, the Impact Player substitute for Mukesh Kumar. The young finisher, who shone for Punjab Kings last season, again displayed his capabilities. He aggressively took on Ravi Bishnoi, scoring two fours and a six, and continued to dominate against Prince Yadav and Shahbaz Ahmed, hitting consecutive boundaries to shift momentum in DC’s favor.

With Vipraj Nigam, primarily chosen for his bowling talent, supporting him, Ashutosh took the charge. In a match earlier in the SMAT 2024-25 season against Andhra, Nigam had dazzled with 27 runs off just eight balls to clinch victory for Uttar Pradesh. He once again proved valuable as he watched Ashutosh score freely, contributing significant boundaries himself.

Nigam fell to Rathi but left a mark with a fiery 39 runs off 15 balls, with 30 of those runs coming off just 12 deliveries against the spinners.

With a burst of energy, Ashutosh took on Bishnoi in the 18th over, smashing a six and two fours, narrowing the target to 22 off 12 balls. Although Prince Yadav started the next over well, a run-out involving Kuldeep Yadav ramped up the pressure. Yet, Ashutosh remained composed, reaching his fifty with a single before launching a massive six, leaving DC needing just 6 runs for victory.

With 6 runs required off the final 6 balls, Mohit Sharma was on strike. He missed the first delivery, prompting an LSG review for LBW, but the appeal was unsuccessful. Mohit managed a single, bringing Ashutosh to face the music. And with the game on the line, Ashutosh delivered, finishing in style with a six to secure a thrilling one-wicket victory for DC.

In a match filled with dramatic twists, Ashutosh Sharma stood out as the clear hero. His fearless innings of 66 not out off 31 balls, punctuated by 5 fours and 5 sixes, ensured an exhilarating start to Delhi Capitals’ IPL 2025 campaign.

Brief scores: Lucknow Super Giants 209/8 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 75, Mitchell Marsh 72; Mitchell Starc 3-42, Kuldeep Yadav 2-20) lost to Delhi Capitals 211/9 in 19.3 overs (Ashutosh Sharma 66 not out, Vipraj Nigam 39; Digvesh Rathi 2-31, Shardul Thakur 2-19) by one wicket.