Ashutosh Sharma produced a sensational batting display as Delhi Capitals registered a thrilling one-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2025 encounter on Monday. Chasing 210, DC looked down and out of the game before Ashutosh slammed 66 off just 31 deliveries to clinch a famous win. Following the defeat, LSG captain Rishabh Pant was seen having an intense conversation with head coach Justin Langer and owner Sanjiv Goenka. Social media users were quick to post memes regarding the meeting and some even referenced the infamous chat between Goenka and then-captain KL Rahul following a heavy defeat during IPL 2024 that resulted in a massive controversy.
Sanjiv Goenka having a chat with Rishabh Pant. pic.twitter.com/6H6WTCxoVc
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 24, 2025
Coming to the match, Ashutosh, an impact substitute on debut for Delhi, lifted his new team from a precarious 65-5 to achieve their target of 210 with three balls to spare in Visakhapatnam.
Can anyone tell me where Sanjiv Goenka would be thinking of Rishabh Pant?? pic.twitter.com/xs0rMxNGYq
— Gurlabh Singh (@Gurlabh91001251) March 25, 2025
Needing 22 off the final two overs and six off the last six balls with one wicket remaining, Ashutosh stood strong and hit the winning six.
Sanjiv Goenka having a chat with Rishabh Pant.
Stupid Stupid Stupid pic.twitter.com/OcVwS7BJkX
— Abhinav Hariom Pandey 7 (@hariomAbhinav) March 24, 2025
Delhi were 7-3 in the second over, and had lost half their side for 65 when Faf du Plessis got out on 29 in his first match for the franchise.
New captain Axar Patel hit a quickfire 22 and Tristan Stubbs smashed 34.
“Be prepared for it now,” a smiling Axar said after the close win. “It’s going to be like this only under my captaincy. Things will be up and down a little. “
When Stubbs was bowled by Manimaran Siddharth, the ball after hitting consecutive sixes, the game looked up with Delhi 113-6 and requiring 97 runs off 7.3 overs.
But Ashutosh and IPL debutant Vipraj Nigam, who hit 39 off 15 balls, struck flurry of boundaries to revive the chase with a partnership of 55 off 22 balls.
Nigam fell in the 17th over and Lucknow lost two more wickets but Ashutosh justified the faith of new mentor Kevin Pietersen, who had predicted during the innings break that the big-hitter would come up with something special.
Ashutosh sparkled in his first IPL campaign last year for Punjab Kings in a finisher’s role, but initially showed restraint on Monday as he reached 20 from his first 20 deliveries.
When wickets fell around him he opened his shoulders, clubbing 46 from the final 11 balls he faced.
With six needed off the final over, number 11 Mohit Sharma narrowly avoided being stumped when the ball brushed his pad as he stepped out of his crease and Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant could not take the ball cleanly behind the stumps.
The batters managed to scramble a single off the next delivery, leaving the stage clear for Ashutosh to seal a dramatic win by smashing Shahbaz Ahmed for his fifth six.
(With AFP inputs)
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