11.50pm Right then, we officially had our first real thriller of IPL 2025 and what a thriller it was! Absolutely up-and-down game across innings. We saw Pooran and Marsh dominate, we then saw Kuldeep and Starc bring DC back in the game. Then it was LSG on the up again, thanks to Shardul and co. Whatever resistance DC were putting up, kept getting broken. But Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam, new boys for Delhi Capitals, stood up and stood up tall. They still needed 42 off 23 when Nigam fell, but DC also lost Starc and Kuldeep and it was Mohit Sharma facing the last over. Shahbaz Ahmed bowled a beauty to him first up, which nicked his pad which led to Pant not being able to collect with a clear stumping chance had he done so. And Ashutosh Sharma finished the game in style. You can read a more detailed summary in our report. That's all from me and Sudarshanan. On behalf of everyone at ESPNcricinfo, this is Abhimanyu signing off. Goodnight!

11.40pm Time for the presentation ceremony.

Ashutosh Sharma: "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"

Axar Patel: "[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."

11.30pm We have the presentation ceremony coming up soon.

Faf du Plessis: "Amazing game of cricket. Shows you, obviously, a lot of cricketers will complain about the new rule, but that's what the rule is there in the game. When you think the game is buried, someone comes on and plays like that... If you look at the wicket, the way the ball was gripping and we lost five wickets, I thought it was going to be impossible. But it shows what happens when you have an extra batter. It was amazing to watch just how these guys are so powerful and just hitting boundaries effortlessly. It actually reminded me a bit of the 438 game when Makhaya Ntini had to get a single in the last over. That's probably the most important single in Mohit Sharma's life. What a story, Ashutosh winning it with a six. Yeah there's a lot of life left in the dog. New challenge for me, I always see it as a new chapter to look forward to. Moving from Chennai to RCB was a good chapter. Now hopefully it'll be a good last chapter"

Rishabh Pant: "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 Stubbsy, 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]"

Padmaraj: "FAF looks in good shape for a movie career :)"

11.20pm My oh my, what a comeback from Delhi Capitals, in both innings! At 65 for 5, they were tottering. When they lost Tristan Stubbs at 113, they looked like they had no chance. But Vipraj Nigam smashed 39 off 15 in his IPL debut and Ashutosh Sharma took off to play a perfect finisher's knock. Kevin Pietersen bigged them both up while speaking to the broadcaster mid-innings, and boy have they delivered for Delhi Capitals! Lucknow Super Giants know they let the game slip away on multiple occasions today. For Pant, it's a horror return against his old team, with 0 off 6, a dropped chance (albeit a difficult one) and a missed stumping that could have won the game in the final over.

Padmaraj: "LSG started very well in their innings, but DC ended even better. Innings of two halves for each team."

19.3
6
Shahbaz Ahmed to AR Sharma, SIX, And he has won it for Delhi Capitals! He brings out a KEvin Pietersen celebration as he hammers this slot ball into the sight screen! Oh, what a thriller. This is why Capitals bought Ashutosh. This is what he did for Punjab Kings last season. And he has done it in his first game for his new team. He was on 19 off 19 and he finishes on 66 off 31 to win a humdinger for his team

Ashutosh on strike. One boundary needed for DC

19.2
1
Shahbaz Ahmed to MM Sharma, 1 run, They get the single. It's full around off, Mohit pushes it towards point and takes off. Badoni can't collect cleanly so they complete the run with ease. Five needed off four now!

DC couldn't get the single, which is the only positive from that delivery for LSG

19.1
0
Shahbaz Ahmed to MM Sharma, no run, Mohit misses his flick as the Shahbaz bowls a beauty that spins away. Pant can't collect or this game would have been over. But Pant has also reviewed it for leg before. And that's missing off stump. The game is still alive! Will Pant's fumble cost them here?

Just six needed now, but it's No. 11 Mohit Sharma on strike! Shahbaz Ahmed will bowl it. Oh my, it's all happening here!

END OF OVER:
19 | 16 Runs 1 Wkt | DC: 204/9 (6 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 10.73, RRR: 6.00)

  • Ashutosh Sharma60 (30b)
  • Mohit Sharma0 (0b)
  • Prince Yadav4-0-47-0
  • Ravi Bishnoi4-0-53-2
18.6
4
Prince Yadav to AR Sharma, FOUR, Low full toss on off, Ashutosh just flicks it through midwicket and it's too wide for long-on. Six needed off the last over now!
18.5
6
Prince Yadav to AR Sharma, SIX, Pooran's excellent effort goes in vain and Ashutosh has six Slot ball outside off and he lofts this down the ground. Pooran on the rope had to dive back to try and stop that, but it was just beyond him
18.4
2
Prince Yadav to AR Sharma, 2 runs, Lands safe! Looks to whip away this low full toss on middle and off, doesn't get it cleanly and it falls between the two fielders. They manage to race for two, bringing up fifty for Ashutosh
18.3
W
Prince Yadav to Kuldeep Yadav, OUT, Kuldeep is run out! They take a gamble, and it doesn't pay off. Kuldeep misses this full ball angled across, but they take off to try and steal a run, mostly with the intent of getting Ashutosh on strike. Pant throws, misses the stumps but it goes to Prince Yadav, who is quick to gather, turn and throw down the stumps at the non-striker's end. They managed to cross over so Ashutosh will have strike

Kuldeep Yadav run out 5 (7m 5b 1x4 0x6) SR: 100

18.2
0
Prince Yadav to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, Prince now nails the wide yorker and Kuldeep can't get bat on ball
18.1
4
Prince Yadav to Kuldeep Yadav, FOUR, Ashutosh takes off for a single before the ball even reaches Kuldeep, but that's not even necessary! Kuldeep glides this length ball, using the pace, fine on the off side and beats deep third!

Two overs, 22 runs, two wickets. That's the equation. Bishnoi, LSG's most trusted bowler right now, has been expensive today. But now Prince Yadav can have a go at Kuldeep. Can Kuldeep find a single

END OF OVER:
18 | 17 Runs 1 Wkt | DC: 188/8 (22 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 10.44, RRR: 11.00)

  • Ashutosh Sharma48 (27b)
  • Kuldeep Yadav1 (2b)
  • Ravi Bishnoi4-0-53-2
  • Digvesh Rathi4-0-31-2
17.6
6
Ravi Bishnoi to AR Sharma, SIX, Into the sightscreen again! Bishnoi reverts to bowling over the wicket, but this is too full and too wide. He frees his arms, gets low and clobbers this!
17.5
4
Ravi Bishnoi to AR Sharma, FOUR, And now drilled through cover! Too much width, and too short too, and he slaps it away! Ashutosh says the game is still on!
17.4
6
Ravi Bishnoi to AR Sharma, SIX, In the slot and Ashutosh hammers this down the ground! Clean hit into the sight screen

Ashutosh takes off his helmet. Bishnoi goes around the wicket

17.3
1
Ravi Bishnoi to Kuldeep Yadav, 1 run, They get a quick single to cover
17.2
0
Ravi Bishnoi to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, Kuldeep looks to slap away a length ball angled across him and gets a bottom edge that Pant collects. Playfully pushes Kuldeep over as he was balancing his back leg in the crease

Kuldeep Yadav the new batter at No. 10

17.1
W
Ravi Bishnoi to Starc, OUT, High in the air, and Pant settles under it! It's a googly, full outside off and spinning away from Starc who goes for a big swing. Only skies it and Pant claims it immediately as he runs to his left and pouches it

MA Starc c †Pant b Ravi Bishnoi 2 (4m 5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 40

Bishnoi's last over

END OF OVER:
17 | 3 Runs 1 Wkt | DC: 171/7 (39 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 10.05, RRR: 13.00)

  • Mitchell Starc2 (4b)
  • Ashutosh Sharma32 (24b)
  • Digvesh Rathi4-0-31-2
  • Prince Yadav3-0-31-0
16.6
1
Rathi to Starc, 1 run, Rathi goes short again. Starc reads the googly and punches it out towards backward point. They do well to quickly take a single
16.5
0
Rathi to Starc, no run, Googly, full outside off, and it beats the bat as Starc has a big swing
16.4
1
Rathi to AR Sharma, 1 run, Ashutosh looks to pull away this short-ish ball outside off, gets a bottom edge towards short third. They sprint for the single
16.3
1
Rathi to Starc, 1 run, Length ball angled across and Starc punches it out to cover
16.2
0
Rathi to Starc, no run, Slides a length ball across him that Starc pushes at but can't connect

Rathis stops in his run up and threatens to run Ashutosh out at the non-striker's end

Mitchell Starc comes in to bat now. We know he can bat!

16.1
W
Rathi to Nigam, OUT, And Digvesh gets the breakthrough! It's a carrom ball on a length on leg, Nigam was looking to flick it leg side and it gets a top edge. Short fine moves to his right to take it comfortably and an excellent, excellent knock on debut comes to an end. Well played, Vipraj Nigam

V Nigam c Siddharth b Rathi 39 (17m 15b 5x4 2x6) SR: 260

Digvesh Rathi now

Siddharth: "The first true thriller of this year's IPL! "

Jai: "CRR and NRR same at this point... game on.."

Timeout.

DC 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st2F du PlessisJ Fraser-McGurk
2nd0F du PlessisAbishek Porel
3rd5F du PlessisSameer Rizvi
4th43F du PlessisAR Patel
5th15F du PlessisT Stubbs
6th48T StubbsAR Sharma
7th55AR SharmaV Nigam
8th3MA StarcAR Sharma
9th21Kuldeep YadavAR Sharma
10th19MM SharmaAR Sharma