Rishabh Pant, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants, didn’t dwell on the missed chance to stump a player during a nail-biting match against Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League 2025 in Visakhapatnam. Ashutosh Sharma, who scored an impressive 66 runs, really stepped up when his team needed him, turning the tables and taking on the Super Giants all by himself. With the odds stacked against DC, Ashutosh kept the game intense, needing just six runs off the last six balls.
To shake things up, Pant called Shahbaz Ahmed to bowl during those tense final moments. Right from the first pitch, Mohit Sharma wandered out of his crease, missed the ball, and got hit on his pads. Pant almost stumped him but decided to use the DRS to check for lbw. The review showed that the ball had missed the stumps, giving the Capitals a much-needed sigh of relief. Mohit then knocked the ball for a single, bringing Ashutosh back up to bat. And what a moment it was! The 26-year-old hit a massive six over Shahbaz’s head to clinch the win by just one wicket, snatching victory from what seemed like impending defeat.
While DC celebrated, LSG fans couldn’t help but replay that stumping moment in their minds. For Pant, it’s just a part of the game. Luck is definitely a factor in cricket, and if Mohit had missed his pads, I could have had a stumping chance. But these things happen during a match. You’ve got to put them behind you and focus on improving,” he reflected in the post-match chat.
Even though the match began with DC winning the toss and batting first, LSG quickly turned up the heat. Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran were on fire, showcasing some impressive batting that kept the crowd entertained. Marsh’s 72 runs and Pooran’s 75 were crucial, with both players taking on the Capitals’ bowling attack. They helped LSG post a total that crossed the 200-run mark, which is no easy feat.
Even with the loss, Pant was optimistic, eager to find the silver lining. “I thought our top-order did really well, and we set a good score for this pitch. As a team, our focus stays on positives from each game, with a real goal of learning along the way. If we keep getting the basics right, it will serve us well going forward. We snagged some early wickets, but we were aware that it was a good batting pitch and we needed to keep on with our fundamentals,” he explained.
As DC chased down a hefty 210 runs, the momentum of the match shifted quite a bit. The Super Giants managed to disrupt the Capitals’ top order with some precise bowling. They were in trouble at 65 for 5 by the seventh over, making it seem like victory was slipping away. However, the Capitals needed a bit of magic, and that moment came when Ashutosh put on some solid performances.
With useful partnerships forming, Ashutosh wasn’t alone in his efforts. There was a 55-run partnership with Vipraj Nigam, who scored 39 runs, a 45-run combo with Tristan Stubbs, and then a quick 43-run partnership with Axar Patel and Faf du Plessis, all of which significantly helped DC come back into the game. Pant acknowledged those partnerships, saying, “They had a couple of solid collaborations. One with Stubbs, another with Ashutosh, and of course, Vipraj Nigam made some crucial contributions. They really edged the game away from us at times. Sure, there was enough for our bowlers, but we could’ve nailed our basics a little better. We felt the weight of pressure, and while we’re still figuring things out, there’re definitely positives to take away from this match.”