Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel consoled a heartbroken David Miller after his valiant effort went in vain in a one-run defeat to Gujarat Titans in a last-over IPL 2026 thriller on Wednesday.
Miller’s unbeaten 41 off 19 balls nearly pulled off a remarkable chase, but the South African was left distraught at the finish. As the final result sank in, he flung his bat in frustration, moments before being comforted by Axar.
Chasing 211, Delhi Capitals finished at 209 for 8, with the match hinging on a tense final over from Prasidh Krishna. With two needed off the last two balls, Miller opted against taking a single, backing himself to finish the game rather than handing the strike to Kuldeep Yadav.
Prasidh responded with a well-disguised slower ball that Miller failed to connect. Jos Buttler, alert behind the stumps, collected the ball and executed a sharp underarm throw to run Kuldeep out at the striker’s end. A single would have tied the scores and forced a Super Over.
Gujarat Titans thus held their nerve to seal a dramatic one-run win off the final delivery — their first victory of the season.
Earlier, Titans posted a formidable 210 for 4 after being put in to bat. Shubman Gill led the charge with a fluent 70 off 45 balls, while Washington Sundar (55 off 32) and Buttler (52 off 27) added impetus with brisk half-centuries. Lungi Ngidi was the most economical among DC’s bowlers, returning 1 for 24.
Delhi began the chase brightly, with Pathum Nissanka (41 off 24) and KL Rahul racing to 63 in the powerplay. Their 76-run opening stand was broken when Nissanka was caught off Prasidh Krishna.
Rahul anchored the innings superbly with 92 off 52 balls, keeping DC in the hunt even as wickets fell around him. However, the middle overs proved costly. Nitish Rana failed to convert his start, while Sameer Rizvi fell for a golden duck as Rashid Khan struck twice in quick succession.
Miller’s late onslaught revived hopes, but DC ultimately fell agonisingly short.
Reflecting on the defeat, Axar said the game was decided by key moments in the chase. “Both teams played very good cricket. In such close games, you can point to many things, but I feel we could have been smarter in the chase. The timing of those wickets hurt us — otherwise, we might have finished it earlier,” he said.
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