LSG vs DC

11:30 PM local time and IST: All the 10 teams have now played a game each and the points table is shaping up interestingly already. Tomorrow, it will be number 7 vs number 10 as KKR host SRH with the action moving to Eden Gardens for the first time in this season. Which of the two teams will get their first win? We will find out together, make sure you join us for that. For now, this is Sourabh Agrawal signing off on behalf of Pradeep, Bidipto Datta and everyone here. Cheers!

Sameer Rizvi is the Player of the Match for his 70* off 47 balls, here is what he said (translated from Hindi): (preprations before the season) The coaching staff backed me to play at number 4 in the season, they gave me the freedom in the practice sessions as well and I tried to do that tonight as well. (Did it help being a UP boy?) It does help playing in your home venue, we play our state leagues here only. (on the partnership with Stubbs) When I went in, the plan was to take it on but the quick wickets forced me to change the game plan, Stubbs and me had a chat that we need to take it deep. The plan was to punish the bad balls

Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals captain) (translated from Hindi): (was it too close in the end?) It finished early, got tight in the middle. The new ball was doing a bit but we knew that one partnership would do the job for us. (on their bowling) Very happy with the bowling effort. We realized that it was swinging, it was communicated to the bowlers and everyone bowled well. (Why did he bowl just 3 overs?) There was a shorter side. Also, fast bowlers were getting more help so I decided to give them more overs. (Decision to play Sameer Rizvi as an impact sub) It was always going to be the same, Sameer was always going to play. But we do have a good option in the form of Ashutosh Sharma as well. He (Rizvi) works very hard in the nets, keeps asking questions, I am very happy

Tristan Stubbs [Delhi Capitals]: "(On the match situation and approach) It was fairly straightforward in terms of what we needed to do—spend some time at the crease and build a partnership. The pitch had a bit in it with some swing and movement, so it was about playing proper cricket, staying composed, and letting the game settle before accelerating.(On the partnership with Rizvi) The focus was on batting normally and continuing to look for scoring opportunities. Rizvi played brilliantly, especially against spin, which allowed me to rotate strike and support him. We understood that once we brought it down to a run-a-ball equation, the game would shift in our favour, and thankfully we were able to see it through.(On targeting specific bowlers) There wasn’t a fixed plan to go after anyone. We assessed conditions at the start of each over, and when we saw an opportunity, we capitalised. It was more about reading the game situation rather than pre-planning an attack.(On batting role and position) I really enjoy batting in this role. It gives me the chance to adapt to different situations and focus on finishing games for the team, which is something I take a lot of pride in."

Rishabh Pant [Lucknow Super Giants captain]: "(On moving on from the result) The best way to recover is to move on and not dwell on it too much. Certain things are beyond your control, and thinking about them only puts you on the back foot. It’s about looking ahead and staying positive.(On team balance and bowling options) You always feel the need for an extra bowling option, but the way we batted didn’t allow that luxury. We couldn’t build partnerships, so we had to bring in a batter who could contribute a few overs. Given the situation and the surface, that was the trade-off we had to make.(On batting order decisions) The idea was straightforward. We wanted flexibility in the middle overs, with Badoni taking responsibility when the situation gets tough, especially after early wickets. Promoting the left-right combination at the top was also part of the plan to counter their bowling options. Unfortunately, I got out at a crucial moment, which didn’t help our cause.(On assessing the pitch and total) There was definitely something in it for the bowlers with the new ball, but on a surface like this, 140 is not a challenging total. You’re unlikely to put the opposition under pressure with that kind of score. Having said that, the effort from the bowlers, especially early on, was encouraging.(On conceding extras) Extras did hurt us, but when you’re defending a below-par total, you tend to push harder and sometimes overdo things. Still, picking up a few early wickets gave us a chance and put them under some pressure.(On his batting position going forward) It’s still a 50-50 call, but you’ll definitely see me batting in the top order this season."

11:01 local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Delhi Capitals (145/4 in 17.1 overs) beat Lucknow Super Giants (141 all-out in 18.4 overs)

Sameer Rizvi 70*(47) | Lungi Ngidi 3/27(3.4)
Abdul Samad 36(25) | Prince Yadav 2/20(3)

That ended pretty quickly, didn't it? In the end, DC get home with 17 balls to spare but the scorecard does not reflect the complete story becuase they were in a big hole having been reduced to 26/4 inside the 5th over. LSG's pace attack came out all guns blazing, the ball was doing all the talking in the first few overs

Shami started it off removing KL Rahul for a golden duck on the very first ball of the innings. He was bowling full tilt, getting the ball to move sharply. From the other end, Mohsin Khan backed him up with an even better performance. He bowled a wicket maiden in the 4th over of the innings and then Prince Yadav cracked it open with a couple of wickets in the next over, including removing Axar Patel on a golden duck.

KL's golden duck started the slide and then Axar Patel's ended up arresting the slide because the latter was the last piece of success LSG had in this innings. Tristan Stubbs walked into the middle and joined hands with Sameer Rizvi, it was a tricky situaton for them but as it turned out both of them came out of it unseparated with an unbeaten 119-run partnership which is DC's highest ever for the fifth wicket as well as highest ever for the fifth wicket against LSG

Sameer Rizvi played a coming of age innings, he finished it off with a maximum and ended with a 70 with an asterisk next to his name well aided by Stubbs who exuded control as soon as he walked out

For LSG, there were quite a few positives with the ball. Mohsin, Prince and Shami were top-notch but Nortje disappointed. The turning point though was Shahbaz Ahmad's 10th over which went for 16 runs and turned the tide in the run chase, LSG really did struggle not having a proper fifth bowling option having subbed in Shahbaz in the first innings which did not allow them to bring in Digvesh Rathi in the second innings

17.1 Abdul Samad to Sameer Rizvi, SIX! GAME, SET AND MATCH! There it is! Rizvi fittingly hits the winning runs. Has been a comprehensive win this from DC apart from that early stutter. Drops it short on middle and leg, Rizvi camps back and powered it over deep mid-wicket to seal the game in style.

Abdul Samad will roll his arm over

3 more runs required. Amongst all the positives in the pace department for LSG, Nortje has conceded 39 in his 4 overs

16.5 Anrich Nortje to Sameer Rizvi, OH! Creamed that one, but straight to the fielder who fumbles at covers. Full in the channel, Rizvi drilled that one away for just one.

16.4 Anrich Nortje to Sameer Rizvi, FIVE WIDES! Pant can't reach for it and that's another boundary with a wide called. Banged in short. Rizvi backed away to ramp and misses. Pant leaps and still can't reach for it.