Live Report - Ashutosh blitz gives DC thrilling one-wicket win

Ashutosh Sharma was going nowhere. He was on 20 off 20 balls. The required rate was over 12. Then he flicked a switch and decided to make Delhi Capitals’ opening game of IPL 2025 against Lucknow Super Giants in Vizag all about him.

With DC needing 62 of 30, Ashutosh went bang, bang and then some more as he smashed 46 off his next 11 balls to give DC an epic one-wicket win with just three balls to spare. Arms raised he was engulfed by his team-mates as a bewildered Rishabh Pant looked on.

Earlier, LSG were sent in and riding on Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh’s whirlwind knocks posted 209 for 8. At one point, LSG looked set for much more, even 250, but the DC bowlers came back in style conceding only 49 runs off the last seven overs and picking seven wickets. While Pooran and Marsh accounted for 147 off 66 balls, the rest of LSG batters managed 55 off 55.

DC were reduced to 7 for 3 in the chase and at most stages looked down and out, but out came Vipraj Nigam on debut at No. 8 and thrashed 39 off 15 balls. While he fell with DC needing 42 off 24, Ashutosh made sure to finish the chase and got DC over the line with a six down the ground off Shahbaz Ahmed.

What clean striking this is from Ashutosh. WOWZA! He is no one-season wonder this lad. This is amazing ball-striking against Ravi Bishnoi, an India international no less. Starc falls off Bishnoi's first ball of the 18th over, with the equation reading 39 off 17. Ashutosh then flexes his muscles and goes 6, 4, 6 against Bishnoi to get the equation down to 22 off 12.

Ashutosh Sharma made his name as Punjab Kings' finisher in IPL 2024. He's started IPL 2025 on a similar note. And he has Vipraj Nigam for support. Nigam is largely in the team for his bowling prowess, but don't discount his lower-order hitting. He had in a SMAT 2024-25 game against Andhra smashed 27 off just eight balls to take his side UP over the line.

He first takes on Nigam smoking him for two fours and a six and then hacks Shahbaz Ahmed for a four and six. Ashutosh them takes on Prince Yadav with a four and six while Nigam goes 4 and 4 to take 20 runs off the 16th over.

Nigam falls to Rathi but he has brought DC back into the game with a 15-ball 39. Of the 39 runs, 30 off 12 came against the spinners alone.

Siddharth comes back for his final over, and with the required rate soaring, Stubbs says it is time to use the long levers. He charges down the track and sends the left-armer for a huge six straight down the ground, which travels 90m. The next ball he goes straight again, this time 98m long and out of the ground. That prompts a ball change and Siddharth produces the ball of the tournament so far. He got the ball to pitch on middle and to turn away late fizzing past Stubbs' outside edge and catching the top of off stump. Stubbs is distraught but that was an absolute peach. The length was the key there and the dry ball gripped and turned big.

The LSG bowlers have been really tight and have not given Ashutosh and Stubbs much to work with. Stubbs and Ahustosh get a four and six off Ravi Bishnoi but Prince Yadav bowls a lovely first over that goes for just five. Siddharth also bowls a handy over that goes for only seven. DC manage only 35 runs between overs 7 to 12, which isn't ideal with the scoring rate in excess of 10.

Just when DC seemed to be back on track in the chase, they have lost two big wickets of the set du Plessis and Axar Patel. This is going to peg DC back big time. Rathi gets his maiden IPL wicket as Axar sweeps an innocuous wrong'un on the stumps straight to square leg. Ravi Bishnoi starts his spell with a half-tracker that is duly belted over deep midwicket, but he gets his revenge two balls later as du Plessis' slog only goes as far as deep midwicket. Axar, at the toss, had said that he didn't want to take a risk with dew coming in the second innings. DC have sadly lost half their side before the dew has arrived.

Ashutosh Sharma, the impact sub in place of Mukesh Kumar, and Tristan Stubbs have a huge task up their sleeve.

The captain and vice-captain at the crease and that's brought some calm to the DC dugout. This is the earliest Axar Patel has faced his first ball in an IPL innings, but he's started really well as he belts Digvesh Rathi straight down the ground. Rathi, on IPL debut, didn't have the best of starts as he went for nine off the first over. With a run-up resembling Sunil Narine - he hid the ball behind his back as well - Rathi's lengths were all over the place.

Du Plessis then took on Siddharth and Thakur as DC reached 45 for 3 after five overs.

Overs 3 to 6.

He went unsold at the IPL auction, he was supposed to be playing County cricket for Essex while the IPL was on. But, Mohsin Khan got injured and Shardul found a way in. And, now in his first over, he’s picked two big DC wickets to hurt them in the 210 chase. He found some shape right away, something which Mitchell Starc did not and he’s got Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abhishek Prorel miscuing.

Excellent captaincy as well from Pant, who's kept a long-off for Fraser-McGurk. He looks to go down the ground and big, gets a big fat top-edge that is taken well by Ayush Badoni at long-off. Two balls later, Abhishek Porel, who had a stellar IPL 2024, mistimed an outswinger to Pooran who took a good catch over his head at mid-off.

Sameer Rizvi came in and creamed a cover drive first ball but fell soon after giving M Siddharth, the impact sub, his first wicket, with Pant taking an excellent catch.

DC are 8 for 3 after two overs! That's an amazing start for LSG, as Axar walks in very early.

It was an innings of two halves in Delhi Capitals’ opening game against LSG in Visakhapatnam. When Marsh and Pooran were going the way they were, LSG looked set for 250 or even more. Then came an implosion and LSG found themselves well short.

That’s saying something because, despite the late quick wickets, LSG finished on 209 for 8. Yet, DC will feel relatively happy going into the break.

Marsh, who is only playing in IPL 2025 as a batter showed off his wares as he piled on the runs in the powerplay – 43 off just 19 balls, the most he has ever scored in the phase in the IPL. And it was his countryman, Mitchell Starc at the receiving end of Marsh’s fury.

Starc started off with four dot balls and a single to Aiden Markram in the first over. Then he bowled a length ball on leg stump, and Marsh walloped him over deep square leg for a huge six first ball. Starc’s next over was when Marsh took full toll. The first ball was tonked for a six over long-off by Markram. Then Marsh went 4, 6, 4 against Starc, an over which went for 21.

Vipraj Nigam, on IPL debut, was pulled for a four by Marsh, but he soon had his revenge as he sent back Markram for 15. That brought Marsh and Pooran together and they pummeled the DC bowlers to all parts of the park.

Pooran was dropped on 17 by Sameer Rizvi, and once he got that reprieve, there was no stopping him. He carted three sixes in a Nigam over and then hammered four back-to-back sixes and a four off Stubbs, an over which went for 28. Marsh brought up his fifty off 21 balls, Pooran took 24 and the duo added 87 off 42 balls.

Marsh fell for 72 off 36 balls, while Pooran was cleaned up for 75 off 30 by a full Starc ball. But the wickets brought DC back into play. Rishabh Pant fell for a six-ball duck on LSG debut, while none of the other LSG batters did much.

The last seven overs went for only 49 runs with LSG losing six wickets, and that included two David Miller sixes off the final two balls. That said, LSG have 209 and that’s a good total on most days.

Pant it is who first falls for a six-ball duck on IPL debut toe-ending Kuldeep Yadav to long-off. Starc then returns for a second spell and concedes a four second ball. But then roars back in style. He needed it after being carted away for 21 runs off his second over. The full ball, that's what does the trick for Starc. He spears it at 140kph on off stump and that tailed in late as well. Pooran swings across the line, misses and sees his stumps in a mess. Walks back for a stunning 75 off 30 balls with six fours and seven sixes.

There is a quiet over from Axar Patel, and then Badoni falls with Kuldeep once again mistiming a wrong'un straight to long-on. Two balls later, Shardul Thakur on IPL debut is run out.

Pooran is in some mood tonight. We had just posted that since March 2023, Pooran has been one of only two batters to hit sixes off three or more successive deliveries on six occasions. Well, make that seven. And it's Tristan Stubbs who has taken the brunt of the Pooran power. Stubbs, only an occasional spinner, bowls the 13th over. The first one is a dot... and that is all the sighter Pooran needs. The second ball is swatted away in front of square, then he hammers one straight down the ground to bring up his fifty off just 24 balls. The fourth ball is deposited over long-on and then he goes over extra cover to smash four sixes in a row. The final ball of the over is drilled down the ground as Pooran takes 28 off that Stubbs over.

Over no. 13:

Ironically, it is the pull shot that brings about Marsh's downfall. Mukesh delivers a short of a length slower delivery but more importantly, gives Marsh no room to play with. He flat-bats his swat, but only as far as long-on where Stubbs makes no mistake. Another important wicket for LSG, and in comes Pant. He will have a point to prove against his former franchise. And now were have Pant and Pooran in the middle. Scary to think what will happen if both go big.

There has been no respite for the DC bowlers who are quickly running out of ideas. Marsh has been brutal on the pull shot today. According to ESPNcricinfo'a ball-by-ball data, out of his 57 runs so far, 35 have been off the pull shot off just seven balls, which includes four fours and three sixes. That is a strike rate of 485.71. Wowza! He's also picked lengths really well tonight, playing from deep in his crease. He got to his fifty off just 21 balls, which is his joint-fastest in T20 cricket. He also scored 43 off 19 in the powerplay alone which is the most Marsh has scored in the phase in the IPL.

The powerplay was one area LSG were lagging in IPL 2024. Now, with Marsh going the way he is and Markram with him alongside Pooran at No. 3, expect some fireworks up top. And tonight is a good example of what LSG can do in the IPL with this top-order.

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Since March 2023, Pooran has been one of only two batters to hit sixes of three or more successive deliveries on six occasions. He has pulled off this feat three times in the last two IPLs. How will he get going in IPL 2025? Duh, with sixes of course.

He goes after the young leggie Nigam. First up, there is a tossed-up legbreak outside off that he wallops straight over the bowler’s head. Then the googly which is dropped short and Pooran muscles it miles over deep midwicket. Then there is a dropped catch at point by Rzivi before Pooran punishes him again by thumping Nigam over long-on.

And it's the big wicket of Markram. A much needed one, as LSG were racing away in the powerplay. First about Nigam. He's from Uttar Pradesh and had impressed in the UPT20 which got him a UP debut in all formats. The 20-year-old has played three first-class, five List-A and seven T20 matches in the 2024-25 season. He gets his maiden IPL wicket with a lovely googly. Markram didn't read it out of the hand and was deceived by it. He thought it would be a legbreak and looked to go inside-out over covers. But the googly meant, he could only miscue it as far as Starc at long-off. An excellent start for Nigam.

That's over no. 7 for you:

He is taking on his Australian colleague and is coming out on top. First, it's Markram's turn as he muscles Starc straight over the long-off fence before the Marsh show begins. He first pulled Starc to the deep backward square leg fence and then went one better by heaving him over the deep midwicket fence. He then smashed a four more off the inside half of the bat with the ball racing to the deep square leg fence. What he's done well today is used Starc's pace to his advantage and covered the angles well. Star's lengths were also all over the place.

Stat alert: Mitchell Marsh has got out to Mitchell Starc three times in four innings in T20s before today for 21 runs in 13 balls. Now, he's scored 20 runs off his first four balls vs Starc.

Mitchell Starc has the new ball in hand. He's had an extended time on the sidelines with an ankle injury because of which he missed the Champions Trophy 2025. How will he start? For LSG, it is a brand new opening pair in Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh. ICYMI, Marsh will only play in IPL 2025 as a batter as he is managing a back condition. Starc starts well with four straight dot balls to Markram and then a single off an inside edge onto the pad. But Marsh isn't letting his countryman go off easily. Gets a length ball on his pads and wallops it over deep square leg.

KL Rahul’s Delhi Capitals (DC) debut will have to wait as he missed the team’s opening match against his former franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Visakhapatnam due to personal reasons.

New DC captain Axar Patel called correctly and had no hesitation in bowling first. At the toss, he said that "we don’t want to take a risk with the dew later on" on his decision to bowl.

At the other end was his former team-mate Pant and the camaraderie was on show at the toss with some light banter going on between the two. This is Axar's first stint as full-time DC captain, though he did lead the team for one match last season.

DC's four overseas players are Tristan Stubbs, Mitchell Starc, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Faf du Plessis.

"We have a very good squad and I am very excited. There is dew, but it is different everyday," he said. "It is a big challenge [captaincy], but I have been with DC for a while and was in the leadership group. But I have to focus on myself. That is my thought process."

Pant, who is playing for a team not named DC for the first time in the IPL, said that there was a "lot of emotion with DC", but is looking forward to a different experience. LSG have Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran and David Miller as the four overseas players.

Vizag, which is DC’s second home ground has been a high-scoring venue. In the two matches here in IPL 2024, the first-innings scores were 191 and 272.

LSG: 1 Mitchell Marsh, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 4 Ayush Badoni, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 David Miller, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Prince Yadav, 11 Digvesh Rathi

LSG subs: M Siddharth, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Akash Singh, Rajvardhan Hangargekar

DC: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Abishek Porel (wk), 4 Sameer Rizvi, 5 Axar Patel (capt), 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Vipraj Nigam, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mukesh Kumar

DC subs: Karun Nair, Ashutosh Sharma, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Darshan Nalkande

Two new captains, who until last season were hatching plans against opposing teams will now now come face-to-face in Vizag. Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant lead their respective teams for IPL 2025 - Axar as DC captain, Pant as LSG skipper. There will be pressure on both players. It's a new role for Axar, who has only led in the IPL once last year when Pant was serving a ban for a slow over-rate. On the other hand, Pant has captaincy experience, but how much will that price tag of INR 27 crore weigh on him?

Lots of topics to talk about. But, first things first, there is some breaking news coming through that KL Rahul will miss DC's opening game against his former franchise LSG. He trained with the team on Saturday, but left the squad yesterday and won't be available today. He is expecting his first child and has left to be with his wife.

LSG have plenty of issues to deal with as well. Mohsin Khan was ruled out of the season after he tore his ACL and has been replaced by Shardul Thakur. Mayank Yadav's recovery has been set back by a new toe injury. Avesh Khan and Akash Deep are also at the NCA undergoing rehab, while Avesh Khan is also struggling with niggles in his right knee. In that case, a lot of the impetus lies on the LSG batters.

For DC, they have a number of familiar faces such as Axar, Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhishek Porel and Tristan Stubbs, while some new ones in Faf du Plessis and Mitchell Starc. Du Plessis has also been named vice-captain.

So, what can you look forward to in today's game? Shashank Kishore has this covered in his preview.