IPL 2025 has its first thriller. Delhi Capitals beat Lucknow Super Giants in Vishakhapatnam despite going down 65/5 in 6.4 overs in a chase of 210. Ashutosh Sharma, DC’s new hero, delivered under pressure with a match-winning 66-run knock. But there was Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant, who buckled under pressure in the DC vs LSG clash on Monday.
There were two contrasting stories in the DC vs LSG clash. Sent to bat, LSG scored 162/2 in 13.3 overs. Then, they lost all the steam, losing six wickets for 47 runs to score 209/8. Delhi were down 65/5 in 6.4 overs. Then, they scored 146 runs in the next 13 overs, winning the match by just 1 wicket, thanks to a missed stumping by Rishabh Pant. As the IPL provided yet another thrilling clash, let’s take a look at the Hits & Flops of the match.
DC vs LSG: Hits
Ashutosh Sharma: The new hero
Punjab Kings released Ashutosh Sharma despite a chance to retain him. Now, they will regret that decision. Mentored by Shikhar Dhawan, Ashutosh scored a sensational 31-ball 66, winning the match for Delhi Capitals with a six in the 20th over against Lucknow. He added a 48-run stand with Tristan Stubbs to steady the ship and then launched an assault with a 22-ball 55-run stand with Vipraj Nigam.
Never gave up hope
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 24, 2025
Never stopped believing
A special knock and match to remember for the ages#DC fans, how's the mood?
Scorecardhttps://t.co/aHUCFODDQL#TATAIPL | #DCvLSG | @DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/HYeLTrEjTn
Vipraj Nigam, the emerging star
The star of the UPT20 League made his IPL debut in style. He bagged a crucial wicket of Aiden Markram in his third delivery. Then, Vipraj Nigam slammed a 15-ball 39 that included five fours and two sixes. His 55-run stand with Ashutosh made all the difference.
Batter Mitchell Marsh conquers IPL again
With injury restricting him from bowling ahead of WTC Final 2025, Micthell Marsh came to the IPL 2025 as a pure batter. And he did not disappoint. Opening the innings for Lucknow, Marsh slammed a 36-ball 72 laced with six fours and as many sixes. If he continues that form, LSG will have a shot at playoffs.
Nicholas Pooran returns
After a horrid run in IPL 2021, averaging 7.73 for Punjab Kings, Nicholas Pooran seemed like a forgotten star. But at Lucknow, he has found his rhythm back. No matter which position he plays, he excels. On Monday, it was another proof of what he is capable of. The West Indies star slammed 75 off 30 balls with six fours and seven sixes to take Lucknow to 161/2 in 13.4 overs.
First nail-biter
After a drab Sunday with two almost one-sided clashes in SRH vs RR and CSK vs MI, IPL delivered the first nail-biter. Ashutosh powered Lucknow to a 1-wicket win from 65/5.
Shardul Thakur: Lord returns
Out of reckoning from the India Cricket Team, IPL 2025 was supposed to be Shardul Thakur’s road to redemption. However, he went unsold in the auction. Mohsin Khan’s injury helped LSG sign Shardul as a replacement. And the Lord delivered. He rattled Delhi with the wickets of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abhishek Porel in the first over, reducing them to 6/2.
DC vs LSG: Flops
Rishabh Pant: Poor start to LSG stint
To change fortunes, Rishabh Pant decided to switch allegiance to LSG from DC in IPL. LSG broke banks for him, paying a record Rs 27 Crore at the auction. However, his questionable decisions as the captain, flop show with the bat and a missed-stumping that cost Lucknow the match were the tales of his debut. Pant scored a 6-ball duck, did not bring back Shardul even when Delhi were building a partnership, and missed the stumping of Mohit Sharma.
Rishabh Pant will never learn
— PIXEL77 (@SaviourShrey96) March 24, 2025pic.twitter.com/wNINvYPwsI
Delhi’s batting issues
Jake Fraser-McGurk and Faf du Plessis both failed as openers scoring 1 and 29, respectively. Abhishek Porel and Sameer Rizvi scored 0 and 4 respectively as Delhi went down to 65/5 in 6.4 overs. That shows early signs of issues. Delhi might be forced to sign a replacement for Harry Brook as they clearly miss his services in the middle order.
Lucknow’s bowling woes
Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav and Avesh Khan were supposed to be Lucknow’s frontline seamers. But Mohsin is ruled out of IPL, Mayank is ruled out till April 15 and Avesh is still at the NCA. With Mitch Marsh not bowling, Lucknow’s seam bowling attack relies on inexperienced Prince Yadav and on comeback trail Shardul Thakur. They must address the bowling issue soon or it will be too late.
Sameer Rizvi: Poor start
After a brief stint at Chennai Super Kings, Sameer Rizvi made his Delhi Capitals debut. With tons of runs in domestic cricket and at the U23 level apart from the UPT20 league, he was supposed to have a bright start. Yet, his poor missed catching chance allowed Pooran to score 75. Rizvi dropped Pooran when he was on 17. Then with the bat, Rizvi scored a 4-ball duck, summing up his poor start to DC stint.
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