Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were left stunned with a heartbreaking one-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals (DC) in their IPL 2025 opener on Monday. Though they set a strong target of 210 and left DC reeling at 65/5, LSG were left dismayed as Impact substitute Ashutosh Sharma delivered a stunning unbeaten 66-run knock to take DC home in the last over.
Social Media Hype and Goenka’s Motivational Speech
Following the defeat, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen engaged in an animated conversation with head coach Justin Langer and captain Rishabh Pant. The meeting soon took over social media discussions, with users recalling Goenka’s infamous confrontation with KL Rahul during IPL 2024.
To dispel rumors, LSG put out a video in which Goenka gave the team a pep talk, admitting the disappointment but emphasizing the positives from the match.
“𝐿𝑒𝑡’𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑” 🙌 pic.twitter.com/AXE8XqiQCo
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) March 25, 2025
“Lots of positive that I take away from this game in batting, in bowling,” Goenka said. “How we dealt with the Powerplay in both batting and bowling was fantastic. We are a young side. Let’s see the positives and move ahead. Hopefully, we’ll have a better outcome in the next match. Disappointing outcome, but a fantastic game. So, well done,” he added.
LSG’s Strong Start Ends in Agony
LSG appeared in total command of the match for the larger part of the contest, with bat and ball supremacy. They rode the power play with an incandescent opening and destroyed DC’s star lineup in a later stint, but Ashutosh’s counterattack did this to them as well, putting them into awe.
In the last over, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant missed a decisive stumping opportunity off Mohit Sharma but instead chose a DRS review for an LBW option. The review indicated the ball going past the stumps, giving DC a relief. Then, Ashutosh put the game out of LSG’s reach with a six down the ground.
Axar’s Unpredictability & Pant’s Reflection
Delhi Capitals’ stand-in captain Axar Patel, elated by the thrilling win, humorously remarked that fans should brace themselves for unpredictability under his leadership.
“Be prepared for it now,” Axar said. “It’s going to be like this only under my captaincy. Things will be up and down a little.”
Meanwhile, LSG captain Rishabh Pant remained composed, taking lessons from the match.
“I believe our opening batsmen played extremely well, and I believe that it was quite a good score on this pitch. As a team, we are always going to take something positive from every game and learn from it,” he mentioned.
With this victory, Delhi Capitals begin their IPL 2025 with a bang, while LSG will try to come back with all guns blazing in their next game. The defeat will hurt, but LSG’s resilience and encouraging performances suggest that they will prove to be a force to reckon with in the competition.
