Ashutosh Sharma has dedicated his Player of the Match award to former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan after his unbeaten 66 runs in 31 balls helped Delhi Capitals to their 2025 Indian Premier League opener by 1 wicket in 19.3 overs against Lucknow Super Giants.
Despite having a host of their bowlers injured, LSG not only managed to put in a mega total of 209/8 in 20 overs but also took five wickets of DC in just seven overs, giving away 65 runs.
Nicholas Pooran (75 runs) and Michelle Marsh (72 runs) helped LSG set a massive total despite their new captain, Rishabh Pant, getting out after scoring 0 in his debut for the new franchise.
Ashutosh got support from young Vipraj Nigam, who added crucial 39 runs in 15 balls. Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav were able to score just seven runs combined and losing their wickets made even LSG one wicket away from winning the game.
However, Ashutosh did lead the innings like a top player and made Mohit Sharma face just two balls where he scored a run to make DC win their new season’s opener in style.
Ashutosh hailed his former teammate Shikhar Dhawan. Both were playing for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024.
Ashutosh said: “Took the lessons from last year. Missed out on finishing the game on a couple of occasions in the previous season. The whole year I focussed and visualised about it. Had the belief that if I play till the last over, anything can happen. Well played to Vipraj. I asked him to keep hitting. He was very calm under pressure. Want to dedicate this award to my mentor Shikhar paaji.”
In a way, it became a dream debut for Ashutosh for Delhi Capitals on Monday (24 March).
LSG Vs DC IPL 2025 Scorecard Summery (25 March 2025)
Player of the Match
Ashutosh Sharma(DC) · 66* (31)
Super Giants · 209/8 (20)
| Nicholas Pooran75 (30) | Mitchell Starc3/42 (4) |
| Mitchell Marsh72 (36) | Kuldeep Yadav2/20 (4) |
| David Miller27* (19) | Mukesh Kumar1/22 (2) |
Capitals · 211/9 (19.3)
| Ashutosh Sharma66* (31) | Shardul Thakur2/19 (2) |
| Vipraj Nigam39 (15) | Digvesh Singh2/31 (4) |
| Tristan Stubbs34 (22) | M Siddharth2/39 (4) |
Toss: DC won the toss and decided to bowl
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