Former Australia captain Michael Clarke praised Delhi Capitals‘ Ashutosh Sharma after his impressive performance against Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2025 match. Ashutosh scored 66 runs off 31 balls, helping DC pull off a surprising win while chasing a target of 210. Clarke called Ashutosh’s innings remarkable, saying it was a game-changing effort. He believes we’ll see many great performances in this IPL, and Ashutosh’s knock will rank among the top five by the end of the tournament.
That inning by Ashutosh was incredible, Clarke said during the Match Centre live show. We’re going to see a lot of amazing innings this IPL, but I promise you, this one will be in the top five. He really turned the game around by himself. His team was down and out, and he just stepped up. You could tell he was going to hit a six or a four. You have to just sit back, appreciate that innings, no matter who you support. It was outstanding.
Clarke also talked about Rishabh Pant’s captaincy, noting that it’s Pant’s first time leading LSG. He said Lucknow would review everything, particularly Pant’s decisions and whether to use spinners or pacers.
“Lucknow Super Giants will look at everything—Rishabh Pant’s captaincy and how they executed their bowling choices. But sometimes, you just have to hand it to the other team, he added.
After his stunning 66* that secured the win for DC, Ashutosh shared his thoughts on his mindset during the nail-biting chase, the lessons he learned from his debut season with Punjab Kings, and his time with team mentor Kevin Pietersen. He followed up on his strong 2024 debut season with PBKS, delivering a crucial innings when DC was in trouble at 65/5 in pursuit of 210, defying all the win predictions. Ashutosh was named the ‘Player of the Match.’
