Sharma blaster earns Delhi dramatic one-wicket win over Lucknow in IPL

VISAKHAPATNAM, India (AP) — Ashutosh Sharma’s blistering 66 off 31 balls snatched for Delhi Capitals a dramatic one-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League on Monday.

Sharma lifted left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed for a straight six to carry Delhi to 211-9 with three balls to spare, and handed Rishabh Pant, the IPL’s most expensive player, defeat in his first game as Lucknow skipper.

Pant, who was bought by Lucknow for $3.2 million, fell for a six-ball duck but Nicholas Pooran (75) and Mitchell Marsh (72) smashed half-centuries which lifted Lucknow to 209-8.

Sharma stuns Lucknow

Lucknow controlled the game well until Sharma exploded alongside Vipraj Nigam, whose own quickfire 39 off 15 helped to give Delhi hope.

Delhi was set back inside the powerplay when it lost four wickets. Shardul Thakur dismissed Jake Fraser-McGurk (1) and Abishek Porel (0) in his first over.

When Tristan Stubbs was clean-bowled by impact substitute Manimaran Siddharth for 34 in the 13th over, it seemed all over for Delhi at 113-6.

But Sharma and Nigam smashed the bowlers at will before Nigam top-edged in the 17th over with Delhi still needing 42 off 23 balls.

Mitchell Marsh was the eighth man out when he couldn’t read Ravi Bishnoi’s googly and skied a catch to Pant, and Kuldeep Yadav was run out in the penultimate over in a bid to give the strike to Sharma.

With six needed off the final over, Mohit Sharma survived a close stumping chance as the ball deflected off his bat before he stole a single off Ahmed. Sharma then finished off the game in style by hitting his fifth six and stunned Lucknow.

Pooran and Marsh flay bowlers

Pooran and Marsh launched Lucknow with a combined 13 sixes and dozen boundaries before wickets fell in quick succession in the last seven overs.

Marsh, playing this IPL only as a batter, and Aiden Markram (15) set the tone for a big total with a 46-run opening stand that included 21 runs from Mitchell Starc’s (3-42) second over.

Leg-spinner Nigam got a wicket off his fourth ball in his IPL debut when he had Markram caught by Starc, but then Pooran and Marsh flayed the bowlers to all parts.

Pooran was dropped on 17 by Sameer Rizvi before he clubbed three sixes off Nigam and hit Tristan Stubbs for four successive sixes in a 28-run over.

Marsh holed out at long-on in the 12th over and Pant’s six-ball struggle ended when he picked out du Plessis at long-off against a spinning delivery by Kuldeep Yadav (2-20).

Starc made amends for his expensive first spell when he flattened Pooran’s off stump with a 140 kph delivery as Delhi came back to take six Lucknow wickets in the last seven overs for 49 runs.

David Miller lifted the total with two sixes off the final two balls and was 27 not out off 19 balls.

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