Delhi Capitals clinched victory in the IPL-18 season, defeating Lucknow Super Giants by one wicket in a nail-biting match at Visakhapatnam. Chasing a target of 210, Delhi secured the win in 19.3 overs despite losing nine wickets. Impact player Ashutosh Sharma (66* off 31 balls; 5 fours, 5 sixes) played a pivotal role, supported by Vipraj Nigam (39 off 15 balls; 5 fours, 2 sixes) and Tristan Stubbs (34 off 22 balls; 1 four, 3 sixes). Opener Faf du Plessis contributed 29 runs. Among Lucknow's bowlers, Shardul Thakur, Siddharth, Digwesh, and Ravi Bishnoi each took two wickets.
Early Setbacks for Delhi
From the outset, Delhi faced a tough challenge, losing wickets in quick succession. Shardul Thakur dismissed Jake Fraser (1) and Abhishek Porel (0) in the first over. Siddharth removed Sameer Rizvi (4), leaving Delhi at three wickets down within two overs. Axar Patel (22) and Du Plessis (29) tried to stabilize the innings, but Digwesh and Bishnoi dismissed them, reducing Delhi to 65/5. At this critical juncture, Ashutosh Sharma entered as an impact player and partnered with Stubbs to rebuild the innings. Stubbs hit two consecutive sixes off Siddharth before getting bowled on the next delivery.
Ashutosh and Vipraj Turn the Game
Vipraj Nigam played aggressively upon arrival, smashing Bishnoi for two fours and a six in the 14th over. In the next over, he hit 4 and 6 against Shahbaz Ahmed, pushing Delhi to 148/6 after 15 overs. Ashutosh then accelerated, hitting a six and a four in the 16th over off Prince Yadav, while Vipraj added two more boundaries. However, Digwesh dismissed Vipraj, and Starc (2) also departed soon after. Ashutosh kept Delhi in the hunt, hammering 6, 4, and 6 off the final three balls of Bishnoi’s 18th over. Though Kuldeep Yadav (5) was run out, Ashutosh maintained his composure, hitting a six and a four off the last two balls of Prince’s 19th over, leaving Delhi needing six runs from the final over. With Mohit (1) rotating the strike, Ashutosh sealed the win with a last-over six.
Lucknow’s Strong Total
Earlier, Lucknow posted 209/8, led by explosive half-centuries from Mitchell Marsh (72 off 36 balls; 6 fours, 6 sixes) and Nicholas Pooran (75 off 30 balls; 6 fours, 7 sixes). David Miller added an unbeaten 27 (1 four, 2 sixes in 19 balls). However, captain Rishabh Pant (0 off 6 balls), who was one of the costliest buys in the mega auction, failed to deliver. Among Delhi’s bowlers, Mitchell Starc claimed three wickets, Kuldeep Yadav took two, while Vipraj Nigam and Mukesh Kumar picked one each.
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