Ashutosh got the job done with three balls to spare. © BCCI Delhi Capitals clinched a thrilling one-wicket win in the final over chasing down 210 with Ashutosh Sharma playing a sensational finishing role. Where the match was won? Ashutosh Sharma hit an unbeaten 66 of 31 balls after DC slipped to 66/5 in a 209-run chase. In a game filled with dramatic twists, it was Ashutosh’s nerveless, clean-hitting in the death overs that sealed the deal for Delhi Capitals. He hit 35 of the 61 runs that DC needed in the last five overs and got them home with just one wicket to spare. Unlike LSG’s innings which had a lot of power-hitting in the front-end, DC stuttered, stumbled but eventually got over the line thanks to the belligerence of Ashutosh. Lucknow Super Giants Powerplay – Mitchell Marsh leads the charge Phase Score: 64/1 (RR 10.67; 4s/6s: 7/4) The Australian imposed himself with some cracking hits inside the powerplay, particularly against anything short in length which Delhi Capitals were guilty of being. The initial assault began against Delhi Captials’ strike-force and his Australian teammate Mitchell Starc whom he flicked for six in the first over. In Starc’s following over after Aiden Markram lofted him over cover for six, Marsh peppered the onside boundary as he went for 21. DC’s reply to the onslaught was to turn to a wrist-spinner early and Vipraj Nigam managed to have Markram holing out to long off even as he was picked up for boundaries. In all Lucknow were pretty comfortably placed after the powerplay with DC being forced to do the catching up thereafter. Middle overs – Pooran takes over Phase Score: 106/3 (RR 11.77; 4s/6s: 6/10) There was little distinction between the end of a powerplay and thereafter. In fact, LSG went on a bigger offensive with both Marsh and Nicholas Pooran getting their eye in. The former brought up a well-deserved 21-ball half-century while Pooran showcased what was to come with a takedown of Nigam hitting him for three sixes even as he was dropped once. Pooran was devastating against spin overall taking complete control of the middle overs. The duo put on 87 in 42 balls before Marsh miscued a big hit against a slower ball from Mukesh. It did little to affect Pooran who proceeded to smash Tristan Stubbs for four consecutive sixes and a four in the 13th over. In the process, he also notched up a 24-ball half-century. Just as LSG were looking set to get onto a bigger onslaught they lost both Rishabh Pant, holing out to long off for a duck, and Pooran, bowled by a reverse-swinging delivery from Starc, to push them back. Death overs – LSG taper off Phase Score: 39/4 (RR 7.8; 4s/6s: 2/2) The wickets getting into the back end and the lack of adequate firepower in the lower-order did not help LSG’s cause. Ayush Badoni was caught in the deep of Kuldeep while Mitchell Starc struck twice in the penultimate over that kept robbing LSG off momentum. But they still had David Miller unbeaten till the end and his two sixes off the last two balls of the innings gave it a much-needed fillip taking them over 200. At one point they had threatened to be touching 250, so the end overs was a win for Delhi Capitals even though the total was a daunting one. Delhi Capitals Powerplay – Delhi stutter and stumble Phase Score: 58/4 (RR 9.6;4/6s: 7/2) Shardul Thakur gave LSG the perfect start with two wickets in the first over. First Jake Fraser-McGurk was done in by a slower ball while Abishek Porel too mistimed a big hit. M Siddharth, the impact player for LSG, then had Sameer Rizvi caught behind leaving DC in dire straits. But skipper Axar Patel, along with the experienced Faf du Plessis, managed to get a repair job going. Siddharth was picked up for 15 in his next over and Shardul for 13 as the chase got back on track. But just as they were getting into the groove, Patel swept Digvesh Rathi straight into the hands of square leg. Middle overs – Back on course Phase Score: 90/2 (RR 10, 4s/6s: 6/6) DC saw an upsurge come through the middle overs with Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam taking a liking to LSG’s thinning bowling resources. Soon after the end of Du Plessis, Sharma and Stubbs put on a quickfire 48-run stand. Stubbs eyed a big over from M Siddharth lofting him for back-to-back sixes but was castled with a fresher ball after the previous one was lost. But his departure did not dull DC’s momentum for Vipraj got going almost immediately. He laid into Ravi Bishnoi hitting him for 16 in an over and picking 12 in the next over from Shabaz Ahmed. It left DC needing 61 in the final five overs. Death overs – Nerveless Ashutosh seals the thriller Phase score – 62/3 [RR: 13.77, 4s/6s: 6/5] There were plenty of twists right through the back end. Nigam and Ashutosh picked up 20 off Prince Yadav’s 16th over but the former was dismissed missing a lap in the following over. LSG kept hitting back with regular wickets as Bishnoi accounted for Mitchell Starc while Kuldeep Yadav was run-out in a mix-up. But through it all, Ashutosh managed to keep clearing the ropes when he got on strike. Straight after Starc’s dismissal he powered Bishnoi for three boundaries, and similarly cracked Prince Yadav after Kuldeep was dismissed. In the final over with just six needed, Mohit Sharma had a chance going his way where he overbalanced and was hit on the pad by a turner from Shabaz. The deflection took it past Pant who missed the stumping and to Mohit’s good fortune he was not LBW on review as well. He calmly tapped a single the following ball to get Ashutosh back on strike who nonchalantly lofted his fifth six to seal the match. Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 209/8 (Nicholas Pooran 75, Mitchell Marsh 72; Mitchell Starc 3-42) lost to Delhi Capitals 211/9 (Ashutosh Sharma 66*; Shardul Thakur 2/19) by 1 wicket What next? Lucknow Super Giants will hop over to Hyderabad where they will take on the imposing Sunrisers Hyderabad while Delhi Capitals have a five-day break before they host SRH in Vizag once again.
