Delhi Capitals looked in full control of the chase when they needed just 2 runs from the final two balls of their IPL 2026 clash against the Gujarat Titans. With David Miller set at the striker’s end, the finish appeared routine. Then a small moment of hesitation turned into the difference between winning and losing.
Quick facts
- Match: Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans, IPL 2026
- Result: Gujarat Titans won by 1 run
- Chase: DC needed 2 runs off the last 2 balls
- Key turning point: Miller declined a single on the penultimate delivery
- Decisive moment: Kuldeep Yadav was run out on the next ball
- DC finish: 209/8 while chasing 211
With the match on the edge, Miller had the chance to bring the equation level by taking a single on the second-to-last ball. Instead, he chose to deny the strike to Kuldeep Yadav and went for a more ambitious outcome on the final delivery. The plan backfired immediately, and Delhi’s pursuit ended one run short after Kuldeep was run out on the next ball.
The sequence underlined how quickly T20 margins can swing. Miller’s refusal to take the easy run off the fifth ball of the 20th over became a costly decision later in the chase, and the pressure of needing runs in the final moments only amplified the impact.
At the post-match presentation, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill was blunt about what changed after that call. He said Miller’s choice to not take the single made him believe the Titans could still find a way to win.
Gill also pointed to the way the final moments played out—Prasidh’s slower ball being missed by Miller, and Jos Buttler’s throw beating a diving Kuldeep Yadav to seal the run-out. Those details, he suggested, were central to flipping the contest in Gujarat’s favour.
“Definitely, all three games we played had gone till the last over but very pleased to got over the line. (When Miller didn’t take a single), I thought, we had a chance to win,” Gill said after the match.
Gill further explained the Titans’ thinking for the last delivery. He believed that, given the nature of the pitch, a bowler who can bowl at a slower pace was the right option, since such deliveries are harder to hit cleanly in that situation.
“We decided whether to go for yorker or slower but given the wicket how it played, slower one would be difficult to hit,” Gill said. He also assessed the total, insisting that 210 on that Kotla surface was competitive.
“210 on this wicket was 10-15 runs above par and if we bowl well, we can win this,” Gill added.
Delhi’s chase started with intent, powered by a knock of 92 from KL Rahul and a brisk 41 not out from Miller. But even those contributions couldn’t carry the innings over the line as the final over swung decisively—first with Miller’s refusal to run a single on the penultimate ball, and then with Kuldeep’s run-out—leaving DC stranded at 209/8 while chasing 211.
