Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant was in cruise control, grinning ear to ear as his previous team Delhi Capitals (DC) teetered on the brink of defeat in their IPL 2025 clash on Monday. With DC needing 39 runs off 17 balls and only two wickets in hand, Pant even indulged in some playful banter with Kuldeep Yadav as the left-arm spinner walked to the crease. But cricket, as always, had its own script.

The lightheartedness turned theatrical in the 18th over when Kuldeep chopped a Ravi Bishnoi delivery straight into Pant’s gloves. Seizing the moment, Pant cheekily shoved Kuldeep out of the crease before whipping off the bails. The crowd chuckled, the umpire ruled it not out and the LSG skipper carried on, assuming the game was in his pocket.

Little did he know, the real show was about to begin.

Enter Ashutosh Sharma. The former Punjab Kings batter was handed the strike in the very same over and immediately turned the match on its head. Two sixes. A boundary. Bishnoi left shell-shocked.

Even as DC lost another wicket in the 19th over, Ashutosh remained unshaken. A blistering four and a six off Prince Yadav brought the equation down to just six needed from the final over. Then, with the swagger of a seasoned finisher, he launched Shahbaz Ahmed into the stands, sealing a jaw-dropping win for Delhi.

Reflecting on his heroic finish, Ashutosh credited his self-belief and lessons from the past season. “I learned from last year because there were games where I couldn’t finish. So I’ve been focusing on that in domestic cricket. I always believe that if I play till the last over, anything is possible,” he said after bagging the Player of the Match award.

Calm. Confident. Calculated.

Ashutosh Sharma didn’t just finish the game—he announced himself as a finisher to watch. And for Rishabh Pant? Well, next time, he might think twice before pushing a batter out of the crease too soon!