A chaotic final two balls cost the Delhi Capitals in their 211 chase at home on Wednesday, as they suffered their first defeat of IPL 2026, losing to Gujarat Titans by just one run. With David Miller at the centre of the heartbreak, and under scrutiny for denying a single to Kuldeep Yadav on the penultimate ball, former cricketers Dale Steyn and Ambati Rayudu warned that the blunder could come back to haunt Delhi later in the season.
Delhi, who had won their opening two matches, made a promising start to the chase with a 76-run opening stand before KL Rahul took control. After a cautious start, Rahul found his rhythm, accelerated smartly, and kept the boundaries flowing even as wickets fell at the other end. He anchored the chase with a well-crafted 92 before departing with 45 still needed off the final three overs.
Miller’s outing at the Arun Jaitley Stadium proved eventful. He had earlier walked off injured but returned after Tristan Stubbs’ dismissal and shifted momentum in Delhi’s favour, including a 23-run over off Mohammed Siraj that reduced the equation to two runs from two balls.
However, Delhi faltered at the finish.
A crucial dot ball on the penultimate delivery — with Miller refusing a single — left DC needing two off the final ball. The South African failed to connect, while Kuldeep, attempting a desperate run that could have forced a Super Over, was run out inches short by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Steyn weighed in on the decision. While he acknowledged Miller backing himself after striking a 106-metre six earlier in the over, he felt a smarter approach was required in the closing moments.
“You are reading Kuldeep’s body language there, where he is telling Miller, ‘Trust me, I’ve got this.’ And you see that as he’s hit it, he’s taken off for the run, but then decided against it. He was backing himself. He just hit a 106-metre six, so he’s in the zone. He was feeling it. But Miller’s too good a player not to take a single. You take what’s given to you, it’s a draw or a tie, and then you back your tail end there in terms of Kuldeep to get that single. Or even if he misses it, that you’re quick enough and smart enough to run and get that bye, which in the case of Kuldeep wasn’t able to do. Maybe just a slight hesitation, believing that Miller’s the kind of player that can hit the ball off the ground. And errors that will cost them massively,” he said.
Rayudu echoed the sentiment, revealing that there had been a discussion between the two batters before the fifth ball, but Miller changed his mind at the last moment.
“I think so, because I think the chat was all about, uh, let’s tie the game first and then, you know, maybe I can in the last ball. Yeah, it’s quite unfortunate for Delhi. They were, they were. They played the game for most of the batting innings, and they had a chance to really tie the game and go to the super over on maybe a minute of the last ball. Things happen, but as Dale said, that’s the last thing when it comes to qualifying, you know, when it’s close, this game might actually happen,” he said.
