Visakhapatnam, March 24 (NationPress) Nicholas Pooran (75) and Mitchell Marsh (72) powered the Lucknow Super Giants to a challenging score of 209/8 in 20 overs against Delhi Capitals during the fourth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.

The LSG top-order showcased an explosive performance, but a dramatic late innings collapse caused them to lose their strong footing. The hard-hitting abilities of Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran gave LSG an excellent start, yet the bowlers from Delhi fought back effectively in the concluding overs.

LSG fielded a revamped opening duo with Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh facing off against Australia's pace spearhead Mitchell Starc. Although Starc began with four tight dot balls, Marsh was aggressive, smashing a six over deep square leg and following it up with a series of boundaries. Markram also contributed with a straight six, but Marsh took the lead, sending Starc's deliveries to the boundary at will.

Starc, who had dismissed Marsh three times in their last four T20 encounters, found himself on the receiving end as Marsh raced to 20 runs off just four balls against his Australian teammate.

Just when it seemed LSG was gaining momentum during the powerplay, young Vipraj Nigam, a promising spinner from Uttar Pradesh, provided a breakthrough with his first IPL wicket. He deceived Markram (15) with a cleverly disguised googly, resulting in a miscue that was caught by Starc at long-off.

However, if DC believed they could contain the innings, Nicholas Pooran had other plans. The West Indian star smashed three consecutive sixes off Nigam, sending one straight down the ground, another over midwicket, and the third beyond long-on. Even a dropped catch could not hinder Pooran's onslaught.

After struggling with slow starts in IPL 2024, LSG found new hope with Marsh leading the charge. He played deep in his crease, selecting his lengths perfectly, and pulled with authority. His 21-ball fifty matched his joint-fastest in T20 cricket, and his 43 off 19 balls in the powerplay was the highest he had ever scored during that phase in the IPL.

Marsh, having dominated the DC seamers, eventually fell to Mukesh Kumar. A perfectly disguised slower delivery restricted his movement, and Marsh mistimed his pull shot to long-on, departing for a rapid 72 off 36 balls. But there was no respite for DC.

Pooran continued his destructive performance, and when occasional off-spinner Tristan Stubbs was introduced, the devastation continued.

After a dot ball to kick off the over, Pooran smashed four consecutive sixes, leaving DC bowlers in disarray. He reached his fifty off a mere 24 balls, and by the end, he had blasted 75 off 30 balls, including six fours and seven sixes.

Just as it appeared LSG might cross the 200 mark easily, Delhi Capitals clawed their way back into the match. The pivotal moment came in the 14th over when Mitchell Starc clean bowled Pooran with a perfect full delivery clocked at 140 km/h. Pooran swung across the line, missed, and saw his stumps shattered.

From a strong position at 157/3 in 13.5 overs, LSG faced a shocking collapse, losing four wickets for a mere 17 runs between the 14th and 17th overs. Kuldeep Yadav trapped Badoni and ran out Shardul Thakur, while Axar Patel tightened the screws with a controlled over.

The final three overs saw LSG batters accumulate 31 runs, thanks to back-to-back sixes from David Miller in the last two deliveries, finishing at 209/8 in 20 overs.

For Delhi Capitals, Starc (3-42) and Yadav (2-20) shone with the ball, while Nigam and Kumar each took a wicket.

Brief scores: Lucknow Super Giants 209/8 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 75, Mitchell Marsh 72; Mitchell Starc 3-42, Kuldeep Yadav 2-20) against Delhi Capitals.