Ashutosh Sharma, the batting all-rounder for Delhi Capitals, has expressed his enjoyment of the finisher role after playing a key part in his team’s crucial seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Friday. The win ended Delhi’s three-match losing streak in the IPL 2026 season.
Chasing a challenging target of 226 runs, Delhi reached home with five balls to spare. Ashutosh remained unbeaten on 25 off just 15 balls, smashing four boundaries in the process.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ashutosh said, “I enjoy being a finisher for my team. The team has trusted me to bat in these situations and I enjoy playing in these moments. I always feel that as long as I am at the crease, I can win the game for my team.”
A solid foundation was laid by openers KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka, who put together a 110-run partnership. “In T20 cricket nowadays, a lot depends on the opening partnership and the powerplay. Our openers played really well and because of that we were in the game throughout and could take it till the end,” Ashutosh added.
Earlier, the pace duo of Mitchell Starc and Kyle Jamieson set the tone by dismissing Rajasthan’s explosive openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi inside the first two overs. “We wanted to get their opening partnership out early, as they have been doing well in previous matches. That was our plan and it worked, which was good for us.”
On the losing side, Rajasthan Royals batting coach Vikram Rathour admitted that poor bowling execution cost them the match. “The bowlers couldn’t execute their plans again today. 226 we felt was enough on this surface, they should have been able to defend that. When you are defending that kind of total it is important to have a good powerplay. We gave away lots of runs and didn’t take any wicket,” he said.
Despite the defeat, Rathour found positives in the batting effort, especially the recovery after the early loss of openers. Skipper Riyan Parag top-scored with 90 off 50 balls, while Dhruv Jurel added 42. “We were consistently getting good starts. Both our openers were doing well for us in every match. So, this was the first time that both got out early. As a team, it was important how we came out of that situation and how we played. The way Riyan and Jurel batted at that time, the partnership they built, and the way Donovan finished it, it was really good to see,” Rathour said.