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Sameer Rizvi slammed an unbeaten 70 runs from 47 balls to help Delhi Capitals (DC) beat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six wickets in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Delhi Capitals' Sameer Rizvi after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals, at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, on Wednesday, 1 April 2026. (PTI Photo/Shahbaz Khan)(PTI)Delhi Capitals (DC) youngster Sameer Rizvi enthralled fans in Lucknow on Wednesday with an unbeaten 70 off just 47 deliveries, helping his team beat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six wickets in their IPL 2026 opener.
Rizvi, who walked out to bat at No.4, came in as an impact player in place of T Natarajan, who took three wickets during LSG's innings.
The 22-year-old slammed five fours and four sixes during his knock, and was involved in an unbeaten 119-run stand with Tristan Stubbs for the fifth wicket. Rizvi and Stubbs (39*) helped DC chase down a target of 142 in 17.1 overs.
Sameer Rizvi's IPL salary
Sameer Rizvi was retained by Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2026 season for an amount of ₹95 lakh, the same amount that the Capitals had secured him at the IPL 2025 mega auction. In IPL 2025, Sameer scored 121 runs from five matches at a strike-rate of 153.16, hitting one half-century.
In the IPL 2024 season, Sameer played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In that season, he managed to score just 53 runs from eight matches, and was released by CSK after the season.
Overall, Sameer has played 14 IPL matches across three seasons and has scored 242 runs at a strike-rate of 143.20. He has scored two fifties so far.
Sameer Rizvi reveals backing of DC coaches
After the match, Sameer Rizvi revealed that the coaches told him to play his natural game, and that they would back him. "Coaches told me before that you will play at No. 4 position and we will back you. You just play your natural, positive game," he told mediapersons after the match.
"Whenever I play for UP or in UPT20 league, I bat at No. 4 and if you get to bat at the same position in IPL it gives a lot of confidence. It is a big opportunity for me and they (coaches) are also giving me freedom to play my natural game. So I just make my mindset to grab these opportunities," the Meerut-born player revealed.
"I haven't played many innings in IPL but I will always try to be consistent. I will try to forget this innings and focus on the next match," he added.
Delhi Capitals were reeling at one stage with their score reading 26/4 in the fifth over. Rizvi said that DC could afford to slow down, take their time, and then fire on all cylinders since the target of 142 wasn't that big.
He also spoke about batting with Stubbs, and said that he keeps things pretty simple.
"The intent from the start was to play positive cricket but once we were down four wickets, we decided to slow down a bit and take our time, read the wicket because the chase was not that big. I have played 2-3 innings earlier with Stubbs. He keeps it very simple, plays according to situation," the youngster stated.
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