Lucknow Super Giants set a formidable target for Delhi Capitals in the season opener between the two teams in Vishakhapatnam on Monday, thanks to blistering 70s from Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran.
When Pooran was dismissed in the 15th over after a fiery 30-ball knock, the visitors were in a commanding position at 169/4, with the death overs still to come. A total of 220+ seemed within reach.
However, the middle-order failed to deliver as expected, and a rapid collapse saw them fall 10 runs short of their original target, with Mitchell Starc taking two crucial wickets in the penultimate over.
The first was a straightforward bouncer to Shahbaz Ahmed, which resulted in a catch at square leg. But it was Starc’s dismissal of Ravi Bishnoi that grabbed the headlines.
Starc unleashed a lethal bouncer to the tailender, who was forced to duck out of the way as the ball hurtled past him. Realizing he had little chance of handling Starc’s 140+ speeds with orthodox technique, Bishnoi opted for an unconventional approach on the final ball of the over.
As Starc steamed in from around the wicket, Bishnoi charged forward while simultaneously moving away from the stumps, leaving a massive gap outside his hitting arc due to the angle from which Starc was bowling.
— david Miller (@MillerDavi20894) March 24, 2025
Unsurprisingly, Starc delivered a rapid yorker, which Bishnoi couldn’t get near. The ball crashed into the base of the stumps, leaving just one stump standing—making the scene at the crease look like a battlefield.