David Miller is finding it tough to be on the sidelines right now. One of the most respected T20 hitters in the world, the batter has been left out of Delhi Capitals’ playing XI for the last two matches as the franchise has leaned into a specific team combination. In those games, Delhi has gone with Pathum Nissanka at the top, while Mitchell Starc—arriving late alongside Lungi Ngidi—has been brought into the mix. Miller, speaking a day before Delhi’s next IPL 2026 outing against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home in Delhi on Friday, admitted the wait has been frustrating.
“Obviously it is frustrating,” Miller said. “You always want to play every game, but such is the IPL—because there are only four overseas players allowed in the XI, the balance and combinations become really important for the team. I’ve been around, this isn’t my first IPL, so I understand how it works. For me, it’s about staying upbeat, offering positive feedback to the group, and contributing in any way I can to the side.”
He added that the key now is readiness rather than regret. “And then it’s just waiting for my chance to come again—whether it comes for the rest of the season or not. I want to stay prepared, work hard in training, and be ready to deliver, because that’s what players like to do.”
Miller’s IPL journey has been long and consistent. He has appeared in every season since 2012, producing plenty of memorable stretches along the way. From 2013 to 2015, for instance, he posted 418, 446 and 357 runs while striking at strong rates. But there have also been leaner phases, including the most recent one. In that campaign, Miller managed 123 runs across seven innings, with a strike rate of 146.42. He remained unbeaten four times, and his most eye-catching score was a 41 not out off 20 balls against Gujarat Titans (GT) in early April—an effort that still stands out, even if the moment is remembered for a strange twist.
That innings came during a period when Delhi were struggling collectively. The result of that spell was part of a wider run that saw the Capitals suffer six defeats in ten matches, leaving them placed seventh in the points table.
With qualification now hanging on results, Miller stressed the urgency. “We need to win—four from four, basically,” he said. “That’s pretty much what we require to have a real chance of getting through. So it becomes very important. And sure, it’s not easy. Obviously we don’t go out there to lose. We’ve definitely had team debriefs and discussed a few things. I don’t think we’ve been playing poor cricket at all. We’ve been playing really good cricket, but there are moments in games where we’ve let ourselves down in certain areas.”
He pointed to the pattern rather than a single failing. “It’s not one particular area every time—more like little phases here and there. When the opposition is strong and competitive, you have to be on your game throughout because any team can beat anyone. Whether you’re at the bottom or at the top, the league is highly competitive.”
One of Delhi’s recurring problems has been batting consistency. Beyond a few bright spots—KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs, along with Pathum Nissanka and Sameer Rizvi to a lesser extent—the rest of the batting has often not met the standards required. The conditions at home in Delhi have also not played entirely in the Capitals’ favour, with Miller noting that the nature of the wickets has varied.
“The pitches have been a bit different,” Miller said. “It’s not impossible to play, though. We scored around 260 — there was a chase of 264 against Punjab Kings, for example. But there have also been one or two low totals, so it’s been a little bit different. That’s cricket, really—you always have to adjust to the conditions and to what’s in front of you. Potentially, chasing could be a good way to look at it, because you can gauge what total you need on a wicket you’re not entirely sure how it will behave.”
He also highlighted how Delhi’s innings can slip when wickets tumble in quick succession. “With the batting, it’s pretty clear the games we haven’t done too well in—there we’ve lost wickets in clusters. Two, three, four wickets close together. That puts you in a position where you have to rebuild and then try to set or chase a total that’s competitive.”
Finally, Miller pointed to the small moments that can swing a match. “And then there are those occasional phases where we’ve dropped a couple of catches that could potentially have changed the outcome.”
