Axar Patel Celebrates Delhi Capitals' Thrilling IPL Victory Over Lucknow Super Giants
Delhi Capitals Secure Narrow Win in IPL 2025
Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 25: Delhi Capitals' captain Axar Patel expressed his relief after avoiding scrutiny over his tactical choices, thanks to Ashutosh Sharma's stellar performance that led the team to a dramatic one-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2025.
The match, held in Visakhapatnam, was characterized by its close calls, particularly regarding Axar's decisions during the first innings. His choice to introduce Tristan Stubbs against Nicholas Pooran in the 13th over, rather than opting for spinner Kuldeep Yadav, raised eyebrows among fans.
Pooran capitalized on this decision, hitting four consecutive sixes to score 28 runs, intensifying the pressure on Delhi Capitals. However, Axar noted that his captaincy choices would not be questioned after the team managed to secure a win.
“This is how it’s going to be under my leadership. My decision-making can be unpredictable, so anything is possible. There might be frustration from fans, but winning changes the narrative,” he remarked during the post-match interview.
Reflecting on the match, Axar acknowledged that his team had initially struggled, particularly after Sameer Rizvi dropped a catch off Pooran. Nevertheless, they regained their composure and managed to restrict LSG to just under 210 runs, which could have easily exceeded 250.
“In the first six overs, we conceded too many runs and dropped a catch. However, we managed to contain them in the last seven overs, which gave us confidence. Stopping them around 200 after they looked set for 250 was a significant achievement,” he added.
After a shaky start, with the Capitals at 65/5 chasing a target of 210, Ashutosh Sharma emerged as a hero, scoring an impressive 66 runs off 31 balls to lead his team to victory.
While Ashutosh garnered much of the attention, Axar also commended young Vipraj Nigam for his explosive 39 runs off just 15 balls, which provided crucial support during a tense phase of the match.
“Vipraj showed great composure in a high-pressure situation during his first match. I hope they continue to perform well,” he concluded.