David Miller made a costly error, denying Delhi Capitals a well-deserved victory in their IPL 2026 clash against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday, April 8, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. With DC needing two runs off the last two balls, Miller refused a single after Kuldeep Yadav nudged Prasidh Krishna’s delivery.
Needing two off the final ball, Miller then missed a slower delivery from Prasidh, and Kuldeep was run out at the striker’s end as Miller attempted to steal a bye. DC lost by one run and that immediately sparked debate over whether Miller should have taken the single on the penultimate ball, at the very least ensuring his team did not lose within the allotted 40 overs.
A similar incident unfolded in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), but there, better game awareness prevailed. During the match between Hyderabad Kingsmen and Peshawar Zalmi on Wednesday at the National Stadium in Karachi, Iftikhar Ahmed found himself in an almost identical situation, with Zalmi needing two runs off the last two balls.
Unlike Miller, Iftikhar took the single, allowing Aamer Jamal to finish the job with another run and seal a four-wicket win for Zalmi. Iftikhar was named Player of the Match for his all-round effort, having scored a crucial 15 runs and picked up four wickets.
Had Miller taken the single against GT, DC would have had a far better chance of winning, and he too might have entered the Player of the Match conversation.
GAVASKAR DEFENDS MILLER
Former India batter Sunil Gavaskar defended David Miller’s decision, saying the South African backed himself to finish the chase. Gavaskar admitted Miller perhaps should have given Kuldeep Yadav the strike, but stressed his confidence was justified and that he was undone only by Prasidh Krishna’s superb final delivery.
“Yes, he was backing himself to hit the winning runs, but having seen the way Kuldeep Yadav nudged that ball for a single off the first ball maybe he should have given Kuldeep the strike,” Gavaskar said.
“He should have given the strike. This is all being wise after the event, but the fact remains that the way he had been hitting the previous over and that over as well, he believed that he could do it, simple as that. So you can’t fault him for that. He had the confidence that he could do it, but it didn’t come off because the ball that Prasidh Krishna bowled was an absolutely superb delivery,” Gavaskar added.
Having suffered their first defeat of IPL 2026, Delhi Capitals will look to bounce back when they take on Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, April 11, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
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