Sunil Gavaskar clears David Miller of match-fixing charges after DC vs GT controversy
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Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar defended David Miller's call not to take a single on the penultimate ball of the final over, which has led to widespread criticism as it resulted in the Delhi Capitals losing the game by just 1 run.
Delhi Capitals ended their winning streak early in this edition of the IPL, which was due to a fickle mindset from David Miller, the man who had done wonderfully to take Capitals this close in one of the most thrilling matches in TATA IPL 2026 until now.
However, the match ended with the Gujarat Titans registering their first win of the season as they managed to steal a sly 1-run victory after Jos Buttler's throw was right on the money when Kuldeep Yadav looked to steal a cheeky single to level the scores.
Hero to Culprit: David Miller's awkward game plan vs GT
The entire story of the Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans match would have been very different had David Miller not made it out to the middle following his finger injury that made him quit the field after having faced 10 balls in the innings.
Miller was off the dressing room; however, he returned when Tristan Stubbs was dismissed. Miller, this time, returned with sheer confidence, and his finger was no longer a concern. With 45 runs needed in the last 3 overs, Miller played an incredible innings, 41* off just 20 balls. It was this innings that inched them closer to an iconic win.
However, Miller was a hero until the 18th ball he faced, as he had managed to score 29 runs off just 8 balls. However, it was his controversial decision on the penultimate ball of the final over that led Delhi Capitals to lose the game.
Miller could have been the hero for the Capitals, and also the player of the match, ignoring the efforts from KL Rahul had he won it for his team, but he turned down a single when the Capitals needed just 2 runs off 2 balls, as he planned to finish the game on his own, which he ultimately couldn't.
Sunil Gavaskar defends David Miller's confidence amid controversial stance
After the end of the game, former Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar commented on Miller's choice and said he should have kept faith in Kuldeep for the winning single. However, he also backed David Miller's confidence to finish the innings, especially after the kind of knock he played in the preceding overs.
"Yes, he was backing himself to hit the winning runs, but having seen the way Kuldeep Yadav nudged that ball for a single off the first ball, maybe he should have given Kuldeep the strike," Gavaskar said.
"He should have given the strike. This is all being wise after the event, but the fact remains that the way he had been hitting the previous over and that over as well, he believed that he could do it, simple as that.
"So you can't fault him for that. He had the confidence that he could do it, but it didn't come off because the ball that Prasidh Krishna bowled was an absolutely superb delivery," the Indian great added.
"The worst case is one. I'm not going to miss it," Kevin Pietersen predicts Miller's mindset
On the other hand, former DC mentor Kevin Pietersen offered another perspective on Miller's decision. Pietersen's perspective was more of what was going on inside David Miller's head than what would have been the ideal thing to do in that situation.
"I think purely based on the fact that he thought that from that last delivery, he would guarantee to get one at least. And if not one, he would strike it out of the ground because he's that good at striking the ball out of the ground. So that's where his mind would have been," Pietersen argued.
Pietersen claimed that there was a slight chance of Kuldeep not managing to score that final run, which would have pushed the game into the super overs, and he might have just not wanted that.
"Yes, they've tied the game, and yes, they've got the super over, but he thought from that final delivery, I'll definitely get one. The worst case is one. I'm not going to miss it. Best case, I'll get a 2,3,4,5,6. That's where he was at," Pietersen concluded.
ALSO READ: Match-fixing in DC vs GT IPL 2026 clash? David Miller controversy sparks wild claims
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