None from the Delhi Capitals unit chose to address the David Miller narrative that exploded after their one-run heartbreak against Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in IPL 2026. It was neither discussed in the post-match broadcast chat nor at the press conference, until the team assembled in the dressing room.
It was a shattered dressing room. Delhi needed two runs off the last two balls, but despite a stunning fight from KL Rahul and then Miller, they fell short. The Protea batter, who had earlier retired hurt, mounted a valiant late charge, only to find himself cast as the villain.
The narrative centred around his decision to refuse a single on the penultimate ball, a call that could have at least taken the game to a tie, instead backing himself to finish it on the final delivery.
It was only when the team regrouped in the dressing room that captain Axar Patel addressed the issue. Urging the side to move on, he reminded them that the tournament was long and that the game would have been out of reach had Miller not produced that late assault.
“At the start 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. All are, you know, sad, feeling sad. We can still smile, it’s okay. It is a long tournament. If he (Miller) didn’t hit those sixes, then you know that we would not have been in the game. We’ll go [to] Chennai and start again. Keep smiling,” he said in a video released by the franchise.
Earlier, in the post-match interaction, Axar admitted Delhi could have been smarter during the chase.
“Yeah, obviously the way we are playing, I think both teams played a very good, I think, a very good cricket. And yeah, I think, this type of close game, you can, you know, point out anything. So I think, yes, we played very good cricket. As I said earlier, in a close chase, in a close game, you can point out a lot of things. But I think in the chase, I think we could have played smarter,” he said.
Delhi Capitals will next travel to Chepauk for the match against Chennai Super Kings on April 11.