It was a night to savour for 21-year-old Sameer Rizvi. His maiden IPL half-century helped Delhi Capitals sign off from IPL 2025 with a successful chase of 206 against Punjab Kings on Saturday.
The Uttar Pradesh batter walked in with his team behind the eight ball – three wickets down with 93 on the board in the eleventh over. After playing out his first few balls, Rizvi stitched a 62-run partnership with experienced teammate Karun Nair, keeping the team in the hunt, before teeing off at the death to seal the win.
“The situation was such that the team needed some quick runs. I was looking to take 3-4 balls to assess conditions before going for my shots,” Rizvi said after his match-winning innings.
“Karun bhai hit four boundaries in one over [against Pravin Dubey], which helped ease the pressure on me,” he added
Rizvi initially turned heads after an INR 8.4 crore move to five-time IPL champion Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2024 season. With the tag of a six-hitting maverick after his exploits in the UP T20 league and a “right-handed Suresh Raina” moniker, much was expected of the young star in yellow.
ALSO READ | India squad for England Test series 2025: Key takeaways from Ajit Agarkar’s press conference
The batter from Meerut began his IPL career with a six, sweeping Gujarat Titans’ Rashid Khan over deep square leg. Three balls later, he charged down the track before launching him over long on for six more. His stay at the crease lasted just six balls, but was a preamble to the contemporary fearless batting approach he embodied.
The early promise never translated into anything substantial.
Rizvi was released ahead of the mega auction, having scored just 51 runs across his eight innings. The 2025 auction saw him sign for the Capitals for just INR 95 lakh. The expectations were more tempered this time, and the UP batter barely got a look in, scoring just 63 runs in his first four matches, which included a patchy 35-ball 39 in the previous game against the Mumbai Indians.
But, under the night sky in Jaipur, Rizvi showed signs of his ability with the willow, tonking five sixes in his 25-ball 58 to help his team seal a memorable win.
“In a platform like the IPL, no target should be considered tough. We always have the mindset to win. Last year, even 260 was chased. Targets of 200 or 220 are considered chasable,” the 21-year-old said.
Rizvi’s maturity shone through after Karun’s dismissal, taking over the bulk of run-scoring to propel his team towards the target, allowing Tristan Stubbs to ease his way in. With the PBKS bowlers looking to dig the ball in, Rizvi used the pull shot to good effect, clearing the fence four times through square leg.
“We needed 50-odd runs in the final five overs. At that point, any bowler would have looked to bowl a tight over. I was just looking to pick the balls and play shots based on the position of the fielders,” the DC batter said.
“I was feeling quite relaxed. The things I envisioned in my mind, about winning games for my team, I am very happy I was able to do it today,” he added