Axar Patel-led Delhi Capitals clinched a nail-biting one-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants in Match 4 of TATA IPL 2025 at the Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. In a game that swung like a pendulum till the very last over, DC managed to hold their nerve in a high-scoring contest to chase 209, their highest successful chase in the history of IPL.

The star of the night was Ashutosh Sharma, whose unbeaten 66 off 31 balls guided DC to a miraculous win when all seemed lost. Nicholas Pooran's fiery 75 (30) and Mitchell Marsh's 72 (36) went in vain for LSG, while IPL debutant Vipraj Nigam’s 39 off 15 played a crucial role in DC's successful chase.

 

 

 

 

 

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Axar Patel, leading DC for the first time as a full-time skipper, opted to bowl first against LSG captain Rishabh Pant. LSG openers Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh, both making their debuts for the franchise, got off to a blazing start. Marsh, in particular, took the attack to his Australian counterpart Mitchell Starc. Marsh continued his carnage, racing to a 21-ball half-century, his fastest in IPL, while LSG brought up 64/1 in the powerplay.

 

 

 

 

 

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Nicholas Pooran joined Marsh at the crease and immediately made an impact, hammering 25 runs off Vipraj Nigam’s over, which also saw Sameer Rizvi drop a sitter. Pooran and Marsh stitched together an 87-run stand, taking LSG past the 100-run mark in 8.1 overs. However, DC struck back with Mukesh Kumar dismissing Marsh for 72 (36) with a well-disguised slower ball.

Then came Pant’s much-anticipated first innings in LSG colours, but his stay was short-lived as Kuldeep Yadav removed him for a six-ball duck. While Pooran continued his assault, smashing four consecutive sixes off Tristan Stubbs, Starc cleaned him up soon after his blistering 75 off 30 balls.

With wickets tumbling, Kuldeep turned the game around with a masterful spell (2/20 in 4 overs), dismissing Ayush Badoni and forcing a run-out of Shardul Thakur in the same over. LSG lost momentum, but with David Miller’s two sixes in the final over, they finished at 209/8 in 20 overs.

LSG started with equal intensity with the ball as Shardul Thakur struck twice in the opening over, removing Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel. DC soon found themselves in deep trouble as impact player Manimaran Siddharth dismissed Sameer Rizvi, leaving them at 7/3.

 

 

 

 

 

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Captain Axar Patel and vice-captain Faf du Plessis tried to steady the innings, but just as DC looked to rebuild, debutant Digvesh Rathi removed Axar (22 off 11), followed by Faf (29 off 18) falling to Ravi Bishnoi. 

However, Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma revived hopes with a 48-run stand. Stubbs took charge, smashing a massive six out of the stadium, but his dismissal to Siddharth brought debutant Vipraj Nigam to the crease. Nigam’s fearless 39 off 15 balls, coupled with Ashutosh’s power-hitting, brought DC back into the contest.

 

 

 

 

 

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With 42 needed off 24 balls, Pant turned to his spinners, a move that initially worked as Digvesh removed Nigam and Bishnoi dismissed Starc soon after. However, Ashutosh Sharma had other plans, smashing Ravi Bishnoi for 6, 4, 6 in the 18th over to bring the equation down to 22 off 12 balls with two wickets in hand.

In the penultimate over, Prince Yadav ran out Kuldeep, leaving DC with just one wicket and 18 runs to get off nine balls. But Ashutosh scored 12 runs off the next three balls, setting up a dramatic final over with 6 runs needed off 6 balls.

Bowling the last over, Shahbaz Ahmed almost got Mohit Sharma stumped on the first ball, but Pant missed the chance. A missed run-out opportunity by Ayush Badoni followed, allowing DC to rotate the strike. With five needed off four, Ashutosh lofted one over the bowler’s head, sealing the match in spectacular fashion.

 

 

 

 

 

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It was a game for the ages, with momentum swinging back and forth. Ashutosh’s sensational knock will be remembered as one of the great IPL finishes, while Kuldeep Yadav’s tight spell in a high-scoring game was instrumental in turning things around for DC.

Brief Scorecard: Delhi Capitals 211/9 in 19.3 overs (Ashutosh Sharma 66*, Vipraj Nigam 39, Tristan Stubbs 34, Shardul Thakur 2/19) beat Lucknow Super Giants 209/8 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 75, Mitchell Marsh 72, Mitchell Starc 3/42, Kuldeep Yadav 2/20) by one wicket.

The full scorecard and match details can be found here.