All the efforts of KL Rahul, David Miller, Pathum Nissanka and the rest of Delhi Capitals (DC) players went in vain as Gujarat Titans managed to win the match by just 1 run at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 9. David Miller could have been the hero of the run chase, but as DC captain, Axar Patel said after the match, he should have played the match more intelligently.
Gujarat Titans scored 210 runs in 20 overs in the first innings. With a brilliant innings from KL Rahul, supported by Pathum Nissanka’s aggressive batting at the start of the second innings, DC looked in good shape chasing the challenging target. Due to the collapse of the middle order, the competition suddenly increased and all the responsibilities fell on the shoulders of David Miller.
DC needed 2 runs in 2 balls
In the last over of the match, Delhi Capitals needed 2 runs in 2 balls. In such a situation, Miller refused to give even a single run and ultimately Delhi lost the match by 1 run.
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With a narrow defeat, Miller was devastated; The entire team of Delhi Capitals was destroyed. DC captain Axar Patel kept himself as calm as possible during the presentation ceremony and also during the post-match press conference. He did not blame the experienced Proteas batsman at all.
“Yes, obviously the way we’ve been playing, I think both teams played very, I think, very good cricket. And yes, I think, this type of close game, you know, can point to anything. So I think, yes, we played very good cricket.”
“As I said earlier, in a close chase, in a close game, you can tell a lot of things. But I think while chasing, I think we could have played more intelligently,” Patel said in the post-match conversation.
As soon as DC players went inside the dressing room, there was a flood of emotions.
When the team gathered in the dressing room, raw emotions were coming out from every corner of the room. It was very difficult for him to believe that despite so much hard work, he lost the match. Despite the injured finger, Miller played an unbeaten inning of 41 runs in 20 balls. After Rahul’s innings of 92 runs, Miller was the lone warrior for the team.
In the dressing room, Patel mentioned that they could have lost the match earlier if David Miller had not been in the middle to hit those big shots. The captain said that everyone was sad, feeling bad after the heart-breaking result, but it was not the end for them.
Akshar Patel urged the team to play its next match, which will be against Chennai Super Kings in Chepauk on April 11, with new enthusiasm and new expectations.
Akshar Patel did not blame David Miller
“At the beginning of this season, I told you all to control emotions and stay calm in any situation. We are all sad, feeling sad, but we can still smile, it’s okay. You know, everyone is sad, feeling sad. We can still smile, it’s okay. It’s a long tournament.”
Axar Patel said in a video released by the franchise, “If he (David Miller) had not hit those sixes, you know we would not have been in the game. We will go to Chennai and start again. Keep smiling.”
We keep smiling 😄💙 pic.twitter.com/DWdyihcmzA
– Delhi Capitals (@delhicapitals) 9 April 2026
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