Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar defended David Miller’s decision of not taking a single on the last ball of the final over, which was widely criticized as it resulted in Delhi Capitals losing the game by just 1 run.
Delhi Capitals ended their winning streak early in this edition of the IPL thanks to the shaky mindset of David Miller, the man who had performed wonders to take the Capitals so close in one of the most thrilling matches ever in Tata IPL 2026.
However, the match ended with Gujarat Titans registering their first win of the season as Jos Buttler’s throw was right on the money when Kuldeep Yadav looked to steal a cheeky single to level the score, managing to win by 1 run.
From hero to criminal: David Miller’s GT vs. strange game plan
The entire story of the Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans match would have been very different had David Miller not come in with a finger injury which forced him to leave the field after facing 10 balls in the innings.
Miller was out of the dressing room; However, he returned when Tristan Stubbs was dismissed. Miller, this time, returned with utmost confidence, and his finger was no longer a matter of concern. With 45 runs needed in the last 3 overs, Miller played an incredible inning of 41* off just 20 balls. It was this innings that took them closer to a prestigious victory.
However, Miller was the hero until he faced the 18th ball, as he managed to score 29 runs off just 8 balls. However, it was his controversial decision on the last ball of the final over which led to Delhi Capitals losing the game.
Miller could have been the hero and even player of the match for the Capitals had he ignored KL Rahul’s efforts to lead his team to victory, but he refused to take a run when the Capitals needed just 2 runs from 2 balls, as he planned to finish the game on his own, which ultimately he could not do.
Sunil Gavaskar defends David Miller’s faith amid controversial stance
After the end of the game, former Indian great Sunil Gavaskar commented on Miller’s choice and said that he should have trusted Kuldeep for the winning single. However, he also endorsed David Miller’s confidence in finishing the innings, especially after the kind of innings he played in the previous overs.
Gavaskar said, “Yes, he was backing himself to score the winning runs, but given the way Kuldeep Yadav pushed the ball forward for a run on the first ball, perhaps he should have given strike to Kuldeep.”
“He should have given the strike. It all makes sense after the incident, but the fact is the way he was hitting in the previous over and that over as well, he was confident he could do it, that’s all.
“So you can’t blame him for that. He believed he could do it, but it didn’t happen because the ball that Prasidh Krishna bowled was absolutely brilliant,” the Indian great said.
Kevin Pietersen predicted Miller’s mentality, saying, “Worst case is one. I wouldn’t miss it.”
On the other hand, former DC mentor Kevin Pietersen offered another perspective on Miller’s decision. Peterson’s perspective was more on what was going on in David Miller’s mind rather than what would have been ideal to do in that situation.
Pietersen argued, “I think it’s purely based on the fact that he thought that with that last delivery, he would be guaranteed to get at least one ball. And if not one, he would hit it out of the ground because he is so good at hitting the ball out of the ground. So that’s where his mind must have been.”
Pietersen claimed that there was a slight chance that Kuldeep would not be able to score that final run, which would have sent the game into a Super Over, and he might not have wanted that to happen.
“Yes, they’ve tied the game, and yes, they’ve got the Super Over, but they thought from that last delivery, I’ll definitely get one. Worst case scenario, one. I’m not going to miss it. Best case scenario, I’ll get 2,3,4,5,6. That was right there,” Pietersen concluded.
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