Miller's Costly Gamble: DC's IPL 2026 Heartbreak After Declining Single

What also boosted the morale of fans chanting 'Let's go DC' constantly was the big-hitting David Miller still at the crease and had smacked Prasidh Krishna for a towering 106m six landing on the top floor of North West stand, shortly after the pacer took out Vipraj Nigam.

Suddenly, flashes of Miller, when in GT colours, smashing three consecutive sixes off Krishna, who was in Rajasthan Royals at that time, to win Qualifier 1 in IPL 2022, when 16 runs were needed off the last six deliveries, emerged in everyone's mind. But in sports, everyone has a long memory, but end results have a short tolerance for sentiment.

Here in New Delhi, Miller's whirlwind late hitting after retiring hurt on 12 in the 13th over due to a blow to his left hand brought the equation to two runs needed off two balls. Miller and Kuldeep had a long discussion in the middle, even as tension engulfed the stadium and both teams dugouts.

The equation was straightforward - take the single on the penultimate ball: scores level, Kuldeep on strike for the last ball, worst case - the game goes into Super Over. But if the single wasn't taken, Miller would retain the strike and one ball to win or lose the match would be on him.

This is what exactly happened when Prasidh bowled short and slower, on which Miller pulled towards deep square leg. The single was there for the taking, but they didn't run. After a bit of chat between Prasidh, Shubman Gill and Rahul Tewatia, three fielders were stationed at the leg-side fence - in anticipation of cutting a big shot from Miller.

The final ball from Prasidh was another slower bouncer, just outside off-stump. Miller pulled and missed, but with no choice, he and Kuldeep ran. Jos Buttler quickly hit the stumps with an underarm throw and despite Kuldeep diving, he fell short of the crease.

Even as GT started to celebrate a thrilling win, more drama came in - Miller opted for a wide review - the graphics showed his head height was at 1.87 metres, while the ball at 1.75 metres. Not a wide - GT's celebrations continued and Miller, who put DC on path to win through an extraordinary counter-attacking 41 off 20 balls, was emotional over enduring a case of 'so close, yet so far' halting DC's march for a hat-trick of wins.

"We haven't discussed it yet, but sometimes it happens in cricket," was DC opener Pathum Nissanka's reply to the question on Miller not taking a single on the fifth ball in the post-match press conference.

Asked about his thoughts on the error from Miller, GT leg-spinner Rashid Khan said, "I think when we bowled - last three balls, eight runs were needed. Then we had (the equation as) two balls, two runs. I think it was a very close game, but we just needed a one ball (to get the win)."

Speaking to the broadcasters, GT skipper Shubman Gill would reveal that it was an easy decision to bowl slower balls when Miller declined to take the single. "We have a chance to win. We were just discussing whether to go for the yorker or to go for the slower one. We decided that given the wicket how it's playing, the slower one - a good slower one will be difficult to hit for a boundary."

Outside the stadium, every DC fan asked each other the same agonising question: why didn't Miller take that single? In T20 cricket, one-run defeats invite a dozen discussions on many what-ifs. But Miller's decision was a conscious choice, made with full knowledge of the high stakes involved. He backed himself to take DC over the, but missed it, as a solitary run separated a cruel heartbreak from a stunning heist.

- IANS