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IPL 2026: Brave Miller, classy Rahul fall short as GT win thriller to open account

Brief Score: Gujarat (210/4 in 20 ov) beat Delhi (209/8) by 1 run. KL Rahul (92); Rashid Khan (3/17 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Highlights | Scorecard KL Rahul's masterclass and a heroic, hobbling cameo from David Miller were not quite enough to carry Delhi Capitals over the line, as the rub of the green favoured Gujarat Titans in a breathtaking finish at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. In a game defined by the narrowest of margins, the Titans defended 210 by a solitary run, snapping their two-match losing streak and finally getting their IPL 2026 campaign up and running. While Shubman Gill's composed 70 and half-centuries from Jos Buttler and Washington Sundar set a formidable platform, it was Rashid Khan's mesmerizing spell of 3 for 17 that truly turned the tide. For the Delhi faithful who packed the Kotla on a weekday, the evening ended in dejection. For David Miller, who braved a painful injury to his left hand, it was a familiar sense of "so near, yet so far." Having whittled the equation down from 45 runs off the final three overs to just two required from two balls, he was left searching for answers against two pinpoint slower-ball bouncers from Prasidh Krishna. After refusing a single to Kuldeep Yadav on the penultimate delivery, Miller swung hard at the final ball but failed to make contact. In a desperate scramble for a bye to force a Super Over, Kuldeep was caught short at the striker's end by a clinical direct hit from Jos Buttler. The drama reached a crescendo as Delhi reviewed for a wide on height, but the officials remained unmoved, leaving the home crowd in stunned silence. A distraught Miller was consoled by Axar Patel and KL Rahul, but Delhi will know this was a missed opportunity. Having reined Gujarat back to 210 after the visitors had threatened a total north of 230, the chase was firmly in their hands. For much of the innings, Rahul was a solitary force, overcoming a sluggish start to produce a majestic 92 off 55 balls, decorated with 11 boundaries and four sixes. Aside from Pathum Nissanka's brisk 41 in the powerplay, Rahul lacked a steady ally in his pursuit of such a steep target. The Delhi middle order lacked the necessary composure, with Nitish Rana and Axar Patel both perishing while attempting to take on Rashid Khan. Even the prolific Sameer Rizvi, arriving on the back of two match-winning fifties, departed for a golden duck, undone by a signature Rashid googly. Rashid, who had recently faced scrutiny for a perceived dip in his wicket-taking potency, bowled with a noticeable spring in his step. Having discussed the evolution of his craft with India Today recently, the Afghan maestro returned to his vintage best, tossing the ball up with confidence and extracting sharp turn off the surface. THE RETURN OF KILLER MILLER The chase seemed to have derailed when Tristan Stubbs was run out for 7 in the 17th over, followed immediately by Rahul falling to a clever wide yorker from Mohammed Siraj. With 45 runs still required and only David Miller and Vipraj Nigam remaining, the task appeared insurmountable, especially as Miller had earlier retired hurt with a hand injury. Yet, the man they call "Killer Miller" refused to yield. Returning to the crease with his fingers taped, he launched a stunning counter-attack. With the requirement at 36 from the final 12 balls, Miller dismantled Siraj's final over, carting him for two massive sixes-including a trademark "no-look" strike-and a boundary. Vipraj played his part with a crucial four of his own, reigniting the roar of the Kotla crowd. With 13 needed from the final over, Shubman Gill turned to Prasidh Krishna, who had been expensive in his earlier spells. The gamble nearly backfired as Krishna conceded ten runs in the first four deliveries, but the seamer held his nerve when it mattered most, delivering the dot balls that secured a famous, narrow victory for the Titans. Earlier in the day, Gujarat Titans were asked to bat and suffered an early blow, losing the in-form Sai Sudharsan for 12 in the third over. Though he began positively with a crisp cover drive off Mukesh Kumar, the Delhi Capitals pacer quickly adjusted and struck back. Drawing on the "Josh Hazlewood-esque" hard length that proved effective in his match-winning spell against Mumbai Indians last Saturday, Mukesh consistently hit a probing length, giving the batter little room to free his arms. THE BUTTLER STORM Jos Buttler, having teased with starts in his opening two fixtures, arrived at number three with his sights set firmly on the horizon. He wasted no time in making his intentions known, dismantling Axar Patel's opening over with a boundary and a towering six. The real carnage, however, was reserved for Mukesh's third over. Buttler began to toy with the medium-pacer, moving across the stumps to ramp a length ball for six with nonchalant ease. When Mukesh attempted to go fuller in a desperate bid to compensate, Buttler was lying in wait, tonking the delivery over long-on. The over dissolved into a pursuit of leather as Mukesh lost his rhythm entirely, bleeding 23 runs in a single, bruising set. That explosive surge acted as the catalyst Gujarat needed, propelling them past the 60-run mark within five overs. Yet, Lungi Ngidi proved to be the quintessential party-pooper. He closed out the powerplay with a superb exhibition of control, conceding just five runs. His signature slower balls, which have been the subject of much tactical chatter lately, proved an unsolvable riddle even for a rampaging Buttler. It made for a lopsided start to the innings, as skipper Shubman Gill-returning from a restrictive neck spasm-found himself a mere spectator, facing just seven deliveries in the first six overs. Buttler's half-century arrived in a blur of 24 balls, punctuated by five sixes. It was a historic cameo, marking the second-highest number of maximums by a non-opener in the powerplay in IPL history. But just as the century seemed inevitable, the Englishman was outfoxed by a Kuldeep Yadav googly in the eighth over, failing to convert his lightning start into a marathon knock. SUNDAR-GILL ANCHOR MIDDLE OVERS This triggered a nervous chapter for Gujarat, whose middle order has often resembled a house of cards this season. On Wednesday, however, Washington Sundar stepped into the breach. Fresh from a grueling 40-minute session in the nets on the eve of the match, Sundar looked remarkably composed, driving Kuldeep for a boundary within three balls of his arrival. His momentum was briefly checked by a resurgent T Natarajan. The left-arm seamer, finally looking like his old self after a wearying battle with injuries, choked the scoring by conceding a miserly 14 runs in his opening two-over burst. Just as the pressure began to simmer, Vipraj Nigam inadvertently turned the burner off. The young leg-spinner endured a nightmare over that went for 23, offering up a buffet of short balls and a gift-wrapped full toss that Gill and Sundar gratefully dispatched. With Sundar shifting through the gears and Gill reaching his fifty in 33 balls, Gujarat had surged to 161 for 2 at the three-quarter mark. The endgame, however, lacked the clinical edge Gujarat craved. While Gill continued to haunt Kuldeep-carting the wrist-spinner for two more sixes in the 17th-the bowler at least had the consolation of knowing he'd already snared Buttler, even if his figures were bruised to the tune of 42 runs. At 181 for 2, the Titans were effectively looking down the barrel of a 220-plus total. But Ngidi returned to provide the definitive twist, his off-cutter deceiving Gill and sent him back for a well-made 70 off 45 balls. Despite a couple of late flourishes from Sundar against Natarajan, the innings stuttered. Gujarat managed only 49 runs in the final five overs, a pedestrian finish that saw a truly intimidating total slip through their fingers. Gill's 70 was a vital anchor, yet a strike rate of 155 in the modern game will always invite the "anchor or anchor-weight" debate. Questions regarding his ability to find a fifth gear in T20s persist, though one must grant him some latitude. This was, after all, his first outing since recovering from that nagging neck spasm, which he acknowledged was the same issue that affected him during a home Test series against South Africa.

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