Faf du Plessis appreciates impact player rule after Ashutosh Sharma’s sensational knock against LSG

Delhi Capitals (DC) won their first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season by defeating Lucknow Super Giants by a single wicket at the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

New Delhi: Faf du Plessis, a recent addition to the Delhi Capitals, has praised the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) impact player rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His commendation follows Ashutosh Sharma’s impressive performance, scoring an unbeaten 66 runs off 31 balls, which contributed to the Axar Patel-led team’s victory over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the opening match of the tournament at Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

In pursuit of 210 runs, DC struggled early, falling to 7/3 within the second over and reaching only 116 for six after 13 overs. However, a remarkable innings by impact player Ashutosh, who scored 66 runs off 31 balls with five sixes and five fours, propelled DC to victory in a thrilling match.

“Amazing game of cricket. Shows you, obviously, a lot of cricketers will complain about the new rule, but that’s what the rule is there in the game. When you think the game is buried, someone comes on and plays like that… If you look at the wicket, the way the ball was gripping and we lost five wickets, I thought it was going to be impossible. But it shows what happens when you have an extra batter” said Faf du Plessis after DC’s win.

DC’s latest addition, Mohit Sharma, was at the crease when the team required six runs to win, with Ashutosh at the opposite end. After missing the initial delivery, Mohit managed to secure a single to change the strike. With five runs needed off four balls, Ashutosh stepped up and hit a six, leading to their first victory of the season. Faf remarked that Mohit Sharma’s single run in the final over was the most significant single of his career.

“It was amazing to watch just how these guys are so powerful and just hitting boundaries effortlessly. It actually reminded me a bit of the 438 game when Makhaya Ntini had to get a single in the last over. That’s probably the most important single in Mohit Sharma’s life. What a story, Ashutosh winning it with a six. Yeah there’s a lot of life left in the dog. New challenge for me, I always see it as a new chapter to look forward to. Moving from Chennai to RCB was a good chapter. Now hopefully it’ll be a good last chapter” added Faf du Plessis.

The Delhi Capitals are set to compete against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their second match of the tournament, scheduled to be held at the same location on March 30.