IPL: Ashutosh dedicates match-winning knock against LSG to mentor Shikhar Dhawan

Ashutosh attracted attention with his exemplary finishing skills last season when he turned up for Punjab Kings. However, he did not leave the season a fully satisfied man as he did not meet his own expectations.

It is early days in IPL 2025 but the 26-year-old, who plays for Railways in domestic cricket, was pleased with his stellar 66 not out off 41 balls that brought Delhi Capitals back from the dead on Monday night.

Ashutosh was quick to highlight the role played by IPL debutant Vipraj Nigam as the duo changed the course of the game after Delhi Capitals found themselves down and out at 113 for six chasing 210.

It was the contentious Impact Player rule that allowed Ashutosh to play the innings of his life.

He changed gears dramatically after collecting 20 runs off the first 20 balls he faced. The last 11 balls he faced yielded 46 runs as he finished the game with a six over the bowler's head and the majority of his five sixes came down the ground.

"Missed out on finishing the game on a couple of occasions in the previous season. The whole year I focussed and visualised it. Had the belief that if I play till the last over, anything can happen.

"Well played to Vipraj. I asked him to keep hitting. He was very calm under pressure. Want to dedicate this award to my mentor Shikhar (Dhawan) paaji," said Ashutosh.

Ashutosh and Shashank Singh made a name for themselves with their exploits for Punjab Kings before the franchise released the former ahead of the auction.

To become part of a serious discussion in the context of Indian cricket, Ashutosh knew he could not sit on past performances.

"Last year was really good but that's history for me. I have taken the positives from there and worked on myself, to improve whatever weaknesses I had. I'm applying what I did in domestic cricket."

With number 11 on strike in the 20th over and six runs needed for a famous win, it is natural to be nervous but Ashutosh remained confident.

"I was confident. It's part of the game. Whether it's an appeal or not a run. It wasn't part of my batting, so I was confident that if he took a single, I would be able to hit a six. I was really confident about my ability," said Ashutosh after smashing Shahbaz Ahmed for a maximum to seal the win.

With a match-winning effort in the opening game of the season, Ashutosh has raised the bar for himself.