IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals vs Lucknow Super Giants, Match 4 - Who Said What?

Delhi Capitals got their IPL 2025 campaign up and running with an emphatic victory against the Lucknow Super Giants at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The Match No. 4 of the league saw DC elect to bowl first on Monday, March 24, as Axar Patel thought chasing would be an ideal option at Vizag.

However, the Delhi skipper realized it wasn't the best of the choice, especially after the kind of pounding his bowling unit received in the first innings. But, what happened in the second innings was nothing short of a miracle. Axar & Co. who were without the services of KL Rahul for the game, did miss him at all, as Ashutosh Sharma hit an unbelievably clutch knock of 66* from 31 balls, as DC won by three balls and a wicket to spare.

Talking Points

1. Marsh-mellow, Poo-run hit all over the park

Opener Mitchell Marsh went all guns blazing in the first innings, smashing 72 runs from just 36 balls. The Australian cricketer's knock was studded with six fours and as many sixes. His departure did not scratch the flow of runs, as Nicholas Pooran, batting at No. 3 also whacked a few hefty blows, striking at ball at 250.00. In the 30 balls he faced, the Caribbean batter unleashed his marauding blade for 75 runs, which steered Delhi to 209-8 after the first innings.

2. Lesser-known stars light up Vizag

Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Manimaran Siddharth, and Vipraj Nigam were the most notable names from the night to put up eye-catching performances on the biggest stage in T20 cricket. The lesser-known cricketers rising through the ranks definitely is a sign that the future of IPL is going in an absolutely correct direction, and these names are going to become the stars of tomorrow, as the tournament progresses into its future seasons.

3. Ratlam's Ashutosh wins it for Delhi

Even the Capitals had lost hope after losing six wickets for 113 runs, with 97 runs still needed from 45 balls. However, Ashutosh had his intentions clear, and it worked wonders for the DC side, when the Ratlam-born Ashutosh played a mind-boggling knock to sail through the sea of the 210-run target with three balls to spare. Delhi's Impact Player was truly the most impactful performer from the day, as it came under extreme pressure, but the batter kept his cool and breathed huge relief when the side won the last-over thriller. No surprises for the guess that he was Player of the Match as well for the knock that included five boundaries and five maximums as well.

Also Check: IPL Points Table 2025 | Live Updated IPL Points Table Today & Team Rankings

Who Said What?

Rishabh Pant, LSG Captain, said

I think the runs were enough on the board. The batters batted really well. We may have lost the momentum in the middle, but I think that was a pretty good score on this wicket. Definitely as a team, we are looking to take positives from every match and learn from it. I think the more we get basics right, the better we will get. We need to do the basics right more often. I think they had two good partnerships between Stubbs, Ashutosh and... one more guy [Nigam] I think as the more the ball got older there was help for the bowlers but we could have done the basics more. We felt the pressure. It's early in the tournament, and we are settling in. Luck plays a big part, if it hadn't hit his pad, it would have been a big chance for stumping [in the last over]

Axar Patel, DC Captain, said

[On a thrilling win] Make it a habit that this is how it's going to be under my captaincy. My decision making is also a bit up and down like this, [so anything can happen]. Sometimes there will be anger also [from fans]. Right now we won, so no one will say anything. In the IPL, we have seen a lot. Losing four wickets in the powerplay and winning the game, not seen it happen a lot but now cricket is changing so you just stay at the crease and apply yourself. As a bowler I feel it's all a game of the mind. If you think that you're going to get hit, but you can also go for wickets. So it works both ways. [On the chase] I think the way they played the first six overs, I felt we gave away too many runs. We dropped a catch too. But we stopped them well in the last seven overs. So we had the momentum. When you see 250 could have been made but you stop them around 200, you feel confident. The way the players have been working hard and we all know the potential we have. To bat in the first match in a pressure situation like this, credit goes to [Vipraj Nigam] and hopefully they will continue to do well

Ashutosh Sharma, Player of the Match, said

I learned from the last year, because there wee a few games where I couldn't finish the game, so I have been focusing on finishing games, even in domestic cricket. I have a lot of belief in myself that if I play till the last over and the last ball, anything can happen. Because you just have to stay calm, and believe, and think about what shots you can play that you have practiced, so that's what I did today. [On batting with the tail after Vipraj's dismissal] Firstly I want to say Vipraj played very well. It was a good innings. I told him that if he is being able to connect, he should keep hitting. And I just stayed calm and didn't take too much pressure on myself. I just want to dedicate this man-of-the-match award to my mentor Shikhar paaji