Visakhapatnam, Mar 24 (UNI) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) put up a formidable total of 209 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the fourth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at Dr YSR ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here on Monday.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Delhi Capitals' bowlers faced an aggressive LSG batting display, with Nicholas Pooran top-scoring with a blazing 75 off 30 balls, including 6 fours and 7 sixes at a strike rate of 250.00.
Pooran's innings was laced with breathtaking strokes, including a series of powerful hits off Tristan Stubbs in the 12th over. He smashed consecutive sixes, launching the ball over long-on and long-off, and brought up his fifty in style with yet another maximum. Earlier, he was dropped by Sameer Rizvi when he was on 17, a costly mistake as Pooran made DC pay heavily.
Mitchell Marsh provided solid support with a quickfire 72 off 36 balls, laced with 6 fours and as many sixes. He was particularly destructive against Vipraj Nigam, smashing a massive 95m six over deep mid-wicket. Marsh also survived an LBW appeal off Axar Patel in the third over, with DC losing a review on the umpire’s call. He reached his fifty with a single off Nigam, acknowledged by a gesture from Pooran.
David Miller's unbeaten 27 off 19 balls ensured LSG breached the 200-run mark, while contributions from Aiden Markram (15) and Shahbaz Ahmed (9) added valuable runs. The innings, however, saw a collapse in the latter stages as wickets tumbled quickly.
For DC, Mitchell Starc was the standout performer with the ball, claiming 3 wickets for 42 runs in his 4 overs. Kuldeep Yadav also impressed, taking 2 for 20 in his quota, including the crucial wicket of Rishabh Pant for a duck. Vipraj Nigam and Mukesh Kumar chipped in with a wicket each. Despite conceding runs, Starc's breakthroughs at crucial junctures kept DC in contention.
LSG's innings saw early momentum with Aiden Markram scoring 15 off 13 balls before falling to Nigam. Marsh and Pooran then built a strong partnership, adding quick runs before Pant's dismissal for a duck stalled LSG’s charge. Ayush Badoni (4), Shardul Thakur (0), and Ravi Bishnoi (0) departed cheaply, while Shahbaz Ahmed's 9 off 8 balls contributed briefly. The team managed 209 despite losing wickets in quick succession towards the end.
Delhi now require 210 runs to win in their 20 overs to open their campaign with a victory.
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