Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraaj Nigam delivered a stunning performance, snatching victory from Lucknow Super Giants and securing a thrilling one-wicket win for Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2025 opener on Monday. Their explosive batting display helped Delhi chase down a daunting 210-run target in a dramatic finish.
Delhi found themselves in trouble early, losing five wickets for just 65 runs. Tristan Stubbs provided some resistance, but his dismissal at 113 in the 13th over deepened their woes. However, Ashutosh and Vipraaj’s aggressive batting completely turned the match around, leading Delhi to a victory that seemed improbable.
This win marks Delhi’s highest-ever successful run chase against Lucknow.
Nicholas Pooran was in sensational form for Lucknow, smashing 75 off just 30 balls, including six fours and seven sixes. Mitchell Marsh also played a crucial role with a 72-run knock off 36 balls, hitting six boundaries and an equal number of sixes. However, no Delhi batsman initially showed the same dominance as Marsh and Pooran.
Delhi’s opening pair, Jack Fraser McGurk and Faf du Plessis, are known for their attacking style, but their plans were disrupted by Shardul Thakur. Surprisingly unsold in the auction, Thakur got his chance after Mohsin Khan’s injury and made an immediate impact.
On just the third ball of the innings, McGurk (1) fell to Thakur, caught by Badoni. Soon after, Abhishek Porel was dismissed without scoring, while Sameer Rizvi fell to M Siddharth, leaving Delhi struggling.
Skipper Akshar Patel and Du Plessis showed some fight but couldn’t sustain their innings. Akshar, after scoring 22 off 11 balls with three fours and a six, fell to Digvesh Rathi. Du Plessis managed 29 off 18 balls before Ravi Bishnoi sent him back, worsening Delhi’s troubles.
Tristan Stubbs attempted to revive the chase with an aggressive approach but was bowled by Siddharth for 34 off 22 balls.
Despite the setbacks, Delhi refused to back down. Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraaj Nigam took control, stitching a 55-run stand in just 22 balls. However, after the strategic time-out following the 16th over, Vipraaj fell on the first ball, mistiming a shot off Digvesh. His quickfire 39 off 15 balls, which included five fours and two sixes, had already reignited Delhi’s hopes.
Bishnoi then dismissed Mitchell Starc on the first ball of the 18th over, giving Delhi their eighth blow. But Ashutosh kept fighting, smashing a six, a four, and another six in the final three balls of the over.
With 22 needed off the last two overs, Kuldeep Yadav hit a boundary on the first ball of the 19th over but was run out soon after. Ashutosh completed his half-century with a double on the fourth delivery.
In the last over, needing six off the third ball, Ashutosh sealed the victory with a huge six. He remained unbeaten on 66 off 31 balls, hitting five fours and five sixes, guiding Delhi to a stunning win.
Earlier, Lucknow had set the stage ablaze at Visakhapatnam’s ACA-VDCA Stadium. The opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram gave them a rapid start, adding 46 runs. Vipraaj Nigam provided Delhi with their first breakthrough, dismissing Markram for 15.
Then came a destructive partnership as Marsh and Pooran dismantled Delhi’s bowling. Marsh reached his fifty in just 21 balls, and together, they took the score past 130. However, Mukesh Kumar’s crucial dismissal of Marsh in the 12th over, followed by Rishabh Pant’s duck, gave Delhi a glimmer of hope.
While Pooran looked set to propel Lucknow beyond 230, he was clean-bowled by Starc in the 15th over. This marked a turning point, as Delhi tightened their grip.
Lucknow’s middle-order faltered, with Badoni (4), Thakur (0), and Shahbaz Ahmed (9) falling cheaply. Bishnoi was the last wicket to fall in the 19th over.
David Miller, however, ensured Lucknow crossed 200 with two sixes in the final over.
For Delhi, Mitchell Starc was the standout bowler, claiming three wickets. Kuldeep Yadav picked up two, while Vipraaj Nigam and Mukesh Kumar took one each.
Delhi’s thrilling comeback, led by Ashutosh and Vipraaj, will go down as one of IPL 2025’s most exciting encounters. This victory sets the tone for their campaign and highlights their ability to chase down even the most challenging targets.
