With icy winds sweeping across Delhi on Wednesday night, the atmosphere at the Arun Jaitley Stadium felt almost electric. Delhi Capitals needed just two runs off the final two deliveries to complete a third straight victory in IPL 2026, but the drama that unfolded had everything—big hitting, sharp fielding, and a last-ball decision that still left DC supporters stunned.
Key takeaways
- Delhi Capitals required two runs from two balls to chase down a win and secure a hat-trick of victories in IPL 2026.
- David Miller, still in the middle despite injury concerns after being struck in the left hand, struck a 106-metre six earlier in the finish.
- On the penultimate and final phases, the match swung around a crucial moment where Miller and Kuldeep ran on the last delivery after a missed pull.
- Jos Buttler’s quick underarm throw at the stumps saw Kuldeep fall short of the crease despite a dive.
- After the result, Miller chose to review the wide call, and the replay showed the ball height below his head height.
- Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill both pointed to the difficulty of hitting slower balls and described the contest as exceptionally tight.
Miller’s late assault and the equalising equation
What kept the home crowd hopeful was Miller’s presence at the crease and his ability to turn pressure into power. He hammered Prasidh Krishna for a massive 106-metre maximum that landed on the top tier of the North West stand. That strike arrived not long after Prasidh had removed Vipraj Nigam, adding another layer to the tension as the innings reached its business end.
Memories of Miller in earlier IPL heartbreaks also resurfaced. Fans recalled his time in Gujarat Titans when he had struck three consecutive sixes off Prasidh—then in Rajasthan Royals—during the run to win Qualifier 1 in IPL 2022. That finish had demanded 16 runs from the last six balls, and the image of Miller’s power returned when Delhi faced a similar knife-edge situation.
However, the evening’s script wasn’t built on pure momentum alone. Miller had to retire hurt on 12 in the 13th over after a blow to his left hand, and even then the game’s outcome was determined by milliseconds and decisions. Still, he returned to the equation with Kuldeep, and the two spent time in discussion at the centre while the stadium held its breath and both dugouts watched every sign.
The target scenario became clear and ruthless: take the single on the second-last ball and the scores would level, bringing Kuldeep on strike for the last delivery. In the worst case, it would flow into a Super Over. But if that single wasn’t taken, Miller would keep strike and the final ball would become the deciding moment—either for a win or for a devastating finish.
The missed run, the last-ball finish, and the review
That is exactly what played out when Prasidh bowled a shorter, slower ball. Miller pulled towards deep square leg, and although the run was there to be taken, they didn’t complete it. After some quick conversation involving Prasidh, Shubman Gill, and Rahul Tewatia, fielders were set on the leg-side fence, prepared to cut off any big hit that might come off Miller’s bat.
On the final delivery, Prasidh went with another slower ball, this time just outside off-stump. Miller pulled and missed. With no alternative, Miller and Kuldeep ran for the single that could still decide the match. Jos Buttler immediately broke the rhythm with an underarm throw. Kuldeep tried to get there in time but dived—yet he was short of the crease when the stumps were disturbed.
As GT began to celebrate a sensational win, another plot twist arrived. Miller requested a wide review, and the on-screen graphics indicated his head height at 1.87 metres while the ball tracked at 1.75 metres. The decision stood, and the celebrations continued—while Miller, who had powered DC’s fight with an extraordinary counter-attacking 41 off 20 balls, reacted emotionally to what he described as “so close, yet so far,” as Delhi’s bid for a hat-trick of wins was stopped.
What the captains and players said
After the match, Pathum Nissanka, a DC opener, addressed the biggest question of the night: why Miller didn’t take the single on the fifth ball. His response—“We haven’t discussed it yet, but sometimes it happens in cricket”—captured the confusion and frustration around a moment that ultimately decided the contest.
Rashid Khan, the Gujarat leg-spinner, offered a clearer tactical lens in his post-match conversation. He said the last part of the chase had swung from needing eight runs in the final three balls to being down to two runs from two deliveries, emphasising how close the outcome was. In his view, they were just chasing the win off “one ball” when the final moment arrived.
Speaking to the broadcast team, GT captain Shubman Gill added that the bowling plan made sense when Miller declined the single. He explained that the side discussed whether to go for a yorker or to bowl slower. With the wicket playing the way it was, Gill said the slower delivery offered a better chance because a well-set slower ball would be harder to hit for a boundary.
Outside the stadium, DC fans kept returning to the same agonising “what if” — why Miller didn’t take the one run when it was available. In T20 cricket, defeats by a single run trigger endless debates about small margins and alternate paths. Yet Miller’s choice had been deliberate, made with the full awareness of the stakes. In the end, one solitary run separated cruel heartbreak from a remarkable heist, turning a planned risk into the narrowest of margins and halting Delhi’s march toward a hat-trick.
