New Delhi: When two familiar opponents meet, sparks fly, there is bound to be drama. When David Miller met a familiar Gujarat Titans and vice versa, it was drama on steroids.
When Miller was acquired by Delhi Capitals for a mere ₹2 crore in the auction, some called it one of the biggest steals. A finisher with that kind of experience, a CV as rich as his and fit as ever, he could be a game-changer for Capitals.
And he showcased that mastery against one of his former franchises. Despite batting with discomfort in his left hand—he had retired due to severe pain before returning—
he almost pulled off a thrilling chase.
However, Titans pulled off a one-run win after Capitals were left to get two runs off the last ball with Miller facing Prasidh Krishna. With that Titans open the account in IPL 2026. GT piled up 210/4 at the Ferozeshah Kotla and DC made 209/8 in reply.
An unbeaten 41 off 20 balls from Miller almost took DC across the long before a last-ball run-out at the striker’s end saw Kuldeep Yadav walk back, sealing the dramatic win for GT.
KL Rahul’s previous stays at the crease had been short—0 and 1—but a more in-synch batter turned up on the day. In the second over, he deposited Kagiso Rabada over long on for six with a sublime pick-up shot.
Chasing 211, Capitals were off to an ideal start. Rahul and Pathum Nissanka stitched together a 76-run opening partnership. As Mohammed Siraj tried to find some swing and shape with the new ball, Nissanka punched him for three boundaries—one through cover, the second lofted straight back over Siraj’s head and the third an off-drive.
He then laid into Ashok Sharma in the last over of Powerplay, the pacer hit for 23 runs in the over. Nissanka first smashed a slower ball for a four. Ashok changed his pace but even a 147kph delivery was hammered over mid-off for six. The next was crunched for a four and another change-of-pace delivery was met with the same result as Nissanka smashed it.
Although Krishna dismissed Nissanka for 41, he wasn’t spared after that. Rahul decimated him with a 20-run takedown after that. Rashid Khan swung the momentum back in Gujarat’s favour as he dismissed Nitish Rana and the in-form Sameer Rizvi—bowled first ball playing the wrong line—in the same over.
With Delhi reeling at 101/3, Rahul tried to stabilise the innings but the momentum did seem to have been affected. It didn’t help that Miller had to retire due to discomfort in his hand at that stage. In the 17th over, the momentum was arrested further with Tristan Stubbs run out and Rahul dismissed for 92. Miller hammered Siraj, who went for 23 runs in the 19th over to leave DC to get 13 off six balls.
Earlier, GT posted what seemed a competitive 210/4. After scoring 73 in the last match against Rajasthan Royals, Sai Sudharsan fell early, dragging one back on to the stumps off Mukesh Kumar.
That brought Jos Buttler to the crease and he looked in menacing touch from the outset. He tore into Mukesh in an over, taking him for 23 runs, including a massive 96 metre six into the top tier of the Gautam Gambhir stand, and surged to a 24-ball fifty. For the first time in three innings this season, Buttler looked had come into his own.
Kuldeep Yadav eventually halted the charge by dismissing Buttler—the fourth time he was dismissing him in T20s—for 52 off 27. There was no respite for Capitals as Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar took over.
The pair added 104 runs for the third wicket with both bringing up fluent half-centuries. Sundar scored his first IPL fifty. For the longest time Gill seemed happy to play second fiddle with both Buttler and Sundar on the other end.
He then launched his own takedown of Kuldeep in the 17th over, hitting him for 17 runs. He was dismissed by Lungi Ngidi in the next over and it led to a slight dip in momentum, with Gujarat going 12 balls without finding the boundary at the death and scoring just 58 runs off the last six.
But on a wicket that largely played out well, DC had the advantage. That is till the last ball.
