Former India player Aakash Chopra has applauded Ashutosh Sharma for playing a stunning match-winning knock in the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) IPL 2025 clash against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He also added that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) might think whether they made the right choice while retaining Prabhsimran Singh in place of Ashutosh before the mega auction as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “Yesterday’s biggest story was Ashutosh Sharma. It’s his second season. People figure you out in the second season. Nobody knows anything in the first season. You come suddenly and play some shots and gather the limelight. However, people come with planning next year. So the second season is always tougher than the first one.”

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He further added, “They were 65/5. He was on 12 or 13 off 17 balls at one stage. Vipraj (Nigam) was hitting from the other end, but he was going slowly because he knew the match wouldn’t be decided there. Punjab might be thinking because they had a choice, whether to retain an Indian uncapped opener or an Indian uncapped finisher. They went with the keeper. I am talking about Prabhsimran Singh.”

However, Aakash Chopra also stated that Kuldeep Yadav (4/20) bowled the match-winning spell in the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) IPL 2025 clash
against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as well.

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“The second big story in this game for me was Kuldeep Yadav. Who wins a bat vs bat contest? Who won you the match? Of course, Ashutosh was spoken about later, but if you give 20 runs in four overs and bowl 15 dot balls, you can consider it anything above gold dust. Everyone was getting thrashed and he did an incredible job. It’s a small ground. He bowled with flight and who did he dismiss – Rishabh Pant. I think he was absolutely phenomenal,” Aakash Chopra concluded.