Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), India, March 25 — In the continuing Indian Premier League action on Monday, Ashutosh Sharma emerged as a newfound star for the Delhi Capitals. His exceptional performance left the Lucknow Super Giants stunned and secured their team a close one-wicket victory.

The audience in Visakhapatnam experienced an unexpected thrill. Perched on the edges of their seats, they watched nail-biting moments unfold before them until finally grasping the magnitude of Ashutosh’s accomplishment when he led DC to victory in their largest successful chase ever recorded in the lucrative tournament.

Starting off struggling at 65/5,

+Ashutosh was instrumental in a contest where momentum shifted between teams multiple times. He treated cricket enthusiasts worldwide to an extraordinary performance, remained until the conclusion, hit the conclusive six, and ended up not out with a brilliant 66 runs off just 31 balls.

Even though they faced a weakened bowling lineup, the Super Giants quickly dominated DC early on, chasing an enormous 210-run target. On the third delivery of their second innings, Shardul Thakur managed to dismiss Jake Fraser-McGurk at a low cost.

During the second-to-last ball of the initial over, Abhishek Porel directed the bat towards Nicholas Pooran, putting Delhi Capitals in a precarious position at 6/2. Similarly, Sameer Rizvi, who had missed catching Nicholas Pooran earlier in the game, scored only 4 runs off 4 deliveries before heading back to the bench.

Captain Faf du Plessis and vice-captain Axar Patel attempted to steady Delhi Capitals’ innings with a rapid 43-run collaboration. While Faf displayed his batting skills by reaching the boundaries, Axar also contributed with some powerful shots.

As the partnership attempted to challenge LSG’s supremacy, Digvesh Rathi achieved the breakthrough by having Axar dismissed for 22 runs (11 balls) in the last over of the powerplay.

In the following over, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant directed crafty spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who immediately saw success. The very next delivery, Faf lofted a catch skyward, which was taken comfortably by David Miller, leading to his dismissal for 29 runs off 18 balls.

Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma joined forces to challenge the high-scoring LSG team, contributing significantly with a partnership worth 48 runs. The replacement for LSG, Manimaran Siddharth, proved pivotal as he managed to extract some purchase from the pitch and dismissed Stubbs (34), trapping him leg before wicket.

Vipraj Nigam had a notable cameo with his rapid 39 runs off just 15 balls, featuring an impressive five boundaries and two soaring sixes.

The situation stood at needing 42 runs off 24 deliveries when a timeout was called, giving both teams an opportunity to reassess their strategies. Upon resuming play, Digvesh dismissed Vipraj with the very first delivery after the pause, adding yet another turn of events to the match.

The match seemed within LSG’s reach until Ashutosh single-handedly flipped the script in favor of the Capitals. In the third delivery of the 18th over, he hammered the ball out of the stadium off Bishnoi. He then sealed the deal with a boundary and ended the over by launching yet another blazing six.

During the second-to-last over, Kuldeep Yadav was run out, introducing yet another twist into the match. Scoring boundaries became crucial at that point, and Ashutosh electrified the crowd with an unforgettable attack.

He aimed for a double but instead opened the face of his bat to hit a six far beyond the boundary line. He then added a four off the last ball, making the target six runs needed from six deliveries.

Pant placed his trust in Shahbaz to secure the match. During the initial delivery, Pant failed to dismiss the batsman but opted for a review claiming it wasLBW. The review revealed that the ball had not hit the stumps after all.

In the subsequent delivery, Mohit nudged the ball softly for a single run, putting Ashutosh back up to bat. Ashutosh then concluded the match impressively with an extraordinary six hit right through the center of the field, securing a narrow one-wicket victory for DC.

After winning the coin toss, Delhi Capitals opted for LSG to begin batting on a docile pitch. Despite Aiden Markram’s quick dismissal, Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran capitalized on the favorable conditions.

They breezed past DC’s bowling assault, making them chase imaginary enemies like Don Quixote. They chose their prey carefully, hammered them as they pleased, and built an 87-run partnership for the second wicket.

As LSG seemed poised to surpass the 220-run milestone, Mukesh Kumar terminated Marsh’s dynamic innings of 72 off 36 balls by enticing him to hit it directly towards Stubbs, who was positioned at long-on.

Following the Australian’s performances, Pooran assumed the responsibility for accumulating runs. He dominated Tristan Stubbs consecutively, hitting four massive sixes in a row, which resulted in 28 runs off the 13th over.

Pooran appeared ready to remain until the conclusion and maintain his aggressive gameplay on the field. The powerful batsman was dominating the bowlers, particularly facing Mitchell Starc during the 15th over.

Starc made the stumps fly using a hint of reverse swing on the second-to-last ball of the over. Pooran attempted to hit it hard but ended up lofting two stumps skyward as the ball curved back in at the last moment.

Pooran hopped aboard the wagon and linked up with Marsh in the changing area. Having been close to reaching 220, LSG now faced the possibility of collapsing before hitting the 200-run milestone.

David Miller, renowned for his ability to anchor the innings, spread his arms at the perfect moment. In the concluding overs, he struck the ball twice into the stands off the final two deliveries, helping LSG reach a total of 209/8. (ANI)