A storyline no one could have predicted. A victory beyond imagination. In one of the most extraordinary finishes in TATA IPL history, Ashutosh Sharma guided Delhi Capitals to a thrilling one-wicket win in a blockbuster tournament opener against Lucknow Super Giants at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Vizag on Monday, 24 March.

Chasing a daunting target of 210, we faced an uphill battle after early setbacks, including losing two big wickets of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel in the first over. However, our young guns Vipraj Nigam and Ashutosh rose to the occasion, forging a remarkable comeback to secure a memorable victory.

Ashutosh Sharma delivered a game-changing knock, smashing an unbeaten 66 off 31 balls, propelling us to our highest successful run chase in TATA IPL history. Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Vipraj smashed a 15-ball 39, which played a crucial role in accelerating the innings.

Earlier, skipper Axar Patel won the toss and elected to field first. LSG openers Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh made the best of the Powerplay overs before Vipraj broke their stand by snaring Markram’s wicket on his first-ever over in the TATA IPL.

The young leggie got the better of the LSG batter to give us our opening wicket but runs continued to pour. Marsh and Nicholas Pooran put on a big partnership as they looked well on track to breach the 250 mark.

However, our pacer Mukesh Kumar's return to the attack in the 12th over proved decisive as he dismissed Marsh, breaking the 87-run partnership. Our bowlers then tightened the grip, triggering a collapse that pushed LSG onto the back foot.

Kuldeep Yadav struck a crucial blow, dismissing Rishabh Pant for a duck. Mitchell Starc, in classic fashion, made an impressive impact in DC colours, rattling Nicholas Pooran’s stumps in the very next over. The 17th over added to Lucknow's woes when Kuldeep outfoxed Ayush Badoni, while a mix-up in the middle led to Shardul Thakur's run-out.

Some terrific overs in the death from Starc helped us finish well, restricting LSG to 209/8. Our Aussie stalwart picked up three wickets, while Kuldeep’s 2/20 was pivotal in helping us make a good comeback.

Despite having the momentum heading into the second innings, we didn’t get the ideal start. With Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel and Sameer Rizvi dismissed inside the first two overs the onus fell on Axar and Faf du Plessis to drive the innings forward. The pair stitched together a brisk 43-run stand, but their quick dismissals left DC under pressure at 65 for 5 in 6.4 overs.

A useful cameo from Tristan Stubbs (34 off 22 balls) brought us back into the game at the right moment before Vipraj unleashed a power-hitting masterclass on debut. Ashutosh, who walked in as an Impact Sub, assisted Vipraj in taking on the bowlers as their partnership accounted for 55 runs in only 22 deliveries.

Vipraj's impressive 39 off 15 came to an end, but Ashutosh Sharma kept the fight alive. With 39 runs required off the last three overs, he took charge, hammering Ravi Bishnoi for a six, a four, and another six in the 18th over. He continued the assault, scoring 12 off Prince Yadav in the 19th, while Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with a boundary before his dismissal in the same over – leaving just six runs to win in the final over with only one wicket in hand.

In at No.11, Mohit Sharma held his nerve to steer a crucial single, putting Ashutosh back on strike, who finished the game off in style with a six down the ground. Ashutosh celebrated with pure elation, marking the moment by celebrating with a switch hit – a fitting tribute to our mentor, Kevin Pietersen.

Our season opener at home set Vizag ablaze. The excitement only builds as we gear up to host Sunrisers Hyderabad at the same venue this Sunday.

Brief Scores

Lucknow Super Giants 209/8 (Mitchell Marsh 72, Nicholas Pooran 75; Mitchell Starc 3/42, Kuldeep 2/20) lost to Delhi Capitals 211/9 in 19.3 overs (Ashutosh Sharma 66*, Vipraj Nigam 39)