David Miller clobbered two massive sixes in a final-over heist as DC broke their two-game losing streak in the IPL 2026 with a tense six-wicket victory over defending champions RCB .
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BENGALURU — David Miller clobbered two massive sixes in a final-over heist as Delhi Capitals broke their two-game losing streak in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 with a tense six-wicket victory over defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Previously, RCB’s aggressive intent only yielded 175/8 as their middle order struggled against DC’s fantastic death overs bowling masterclass. Chasing 176 on a surface that grew increasingly sluggish, DC reached the target with a ball to spare, exorcising the ghosts of that one-run loss they suffered to the Gujarat Titans earlier this month.
While birthday boy KL Rahul (57) and Tristan Stubbs (60 no out) laid the foundation, it was Miller who provided the finishing flourish by smashing Romario Shepherd for two sixes and a four in the 20th over when 15 runs were required. The result also ends RCB’s two-game winning run, with this also being their first loss at home in the season.
The chase began disastrously for DC as Bhuvneshwar Kumar produced a powerplay masterclass. He trapped Pathum Nissanka plumb lbw in the first over before returning to remove Karun Nair and Sameer Rizvi with outswingers. Reduced to 18/3, DC looked down and out before local hero Rahul took charge.
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Rahul, who boasts a staggering average of 69.9 against RCB, carted Josh Hazlewood for 14 runs in the fifth over – with a flick of the wrists to clip over mid-wicket for six and ramping over the keeper for four being standout shots. Alongside a composed Stubbs, Rahul rebuilt the innings with a 76-run stand and reached his half-century off 30 balls.
But he fell shortly after by holing out to long-off against Krunal Pandya, leaving DC in the face of potential trouble. Stubbs took charge after Rahul’s fall by hitting Rasikh Salam Dar and Suyash Sharma for two fours each down the ground. Captain Axar Patel played a vital cameo of 26 to keep the asking rate in check, but was forced to retire hurt due to severe cramps.
His departure triggered a sensational ‘squeeze’ from the RCB bowlers, as Krunal, Bhuvneshwar, and Hazlewood combined to concede just 13 runs across overs 15, 16, and 17, leaving DC needing 37 off the final 18 balls. Stubbs kept DC alive by reaching his fifty off 41 balls, but the equation narrowed to 15 runs needed off the final over, via him carting Bhuvneshwar and Rasikh for boundaries each.
Patidar handed the ball to Romario Shepherd for his first over of the match. After a single and a leg-bye, Miller launched a low full-toss into the mid-wicket stand for six. He followed it with a magnificent lofted drive over extra-cover for another maximum, before finishing the game with a flick to the deep mid-wicket fence, fetching him the winning four and taking DC to victory under extreme pressure.
Earlier, a disciplined death-overs bowling masterclass by DC ensured RCB were restricted to a competitive but under-par score. Despite a blistering 63 off 38 balls from opener Phil Salt, RCB’s innings stalled significantly in the second half, as DC conceded only 29 runs in the last five overs, with Lungi Ngidi, T Natarajan, and Mukesh Kumar being sensational.
Pushed into batting first, RCB had a brisk start. Phil Salt looked dangerous from the get-go by carving Auqib Nabi Dar for a boundary in the very first over. Virat Kohli (19) joined the act with a signature aerial drive over mid-off against Mukesh Kumar, but his stay was cut short by Ngidi, as he mistimed a scrambled seam delivery to deep cover.
Salt continued his onslaught to reach his second fifty of the season with a massive six over long-off against Kuldeep Yadav in the ninth over. But the introduction of spin turned the tide in DC’s favour.
Axar Patel had Devdutt Padikkal holing out to long-on, while Kuldeep Yadav delivered a body blow in the 11th over when he had Salt flat-batting to long-off, and Mukesh doubled it by having in-form Rajat Patidar edge behind to KL Rahul. Tim David provided a brief spark in RCB’s innings by smashing 26 off 17 balls, including a flat-batted six off Ngidi that brought up his 1000th IPL run.
But Axar struck again by dismissing David, whose leading edge was caught by the short third man, while Romario Shepherd was trapped lbw by Kuldeep as RCB went from 110/3 to 149/6. The final two overs saw DC’s pacers assert total dominance. Natarajan was exceptional in the 19th over, firing in pinpoint yorkers and slower bouncers to concede just two runs.
The 20th over summed up RCB’s frustrations - Krunal Pandya was run out after a miscommunication on a wide delivery, while Jitesh Sharma holed out to long-off against an accurate slower cutter from Ngidi. DC were primed to complete the chase, but after some nervy moments, they got over the line thanks to Rahul, Stubbs, and Miller.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 175/8 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 63, Tim David 26; Axar Patel 2-18, Kuldeep Yadav 2-32) lost to Delhi Capitals 179/4 in 19.5 overs (Tristan Stubbs 60 not out, KL Rahul 57; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-26, Krunal Pandya 1-24) by six wickets