Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has backed David Miller after the South African left-hander came under heavy criticism for not taking Delhi Capitals (DC) over the line in their IPL 2026 match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Wednesday. The 44-year-old praised Miller for walking out to bat despite nursing a hand injury, adding that his ball striking was “absolutely unreal”. “David Miller batted beautifully last night. His ball striking was absolutely unreal. Many wouldn’t have gone back out to bat with his hand injury, but he did! The way he was batting, he wanted to finish the game and trusted himself. That Is Sport! At least he got us a great finish!” Pietersen wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. David Miller batted beautifully last night. His ball striking was absolutely unreal. Many wouldn’t have gone back out to bat with his hand injury, but he did! The way he was batting, he wanted to finish the game and trusted himself. That Is Sport! At least he got us a great… — Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) April 9, 2026 Miller became the centre of a fierce debate after a moment that split opinion down the middle – a brainfade to his critics, yet arguably a bold, calculated decision from a batsman who had been in absolute control against GT. He had taken the attack to his former side with authority, timing the ball superbly, only for the final two deliveries to unravel everything in the most breathtaking fashion. With two runs needed in two balls, Miller refused a single in the penultimate ball – backing himself to finish the game with one clean blow. GT pacer Prasidh Krishna, then, delivered a cleverly disguised slower bouncer off the last ball and forced a desperate scramble for a bye that could only level the scores. The final act was swift and brutal: Jos Buttler’s throw was pinpoint, Kuldeep Yadav was stranded short of his ground, and DC were gone – beaten by a single run in the most agonising of finishes. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was also among others who backed Miller’s decision to try and win the match on his own, but admitted that he could have shown more faith in the left-arm wristspinner’s batting capabilities. “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”. “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,” Gavaskar said.
Kevin Pietersen backs David Miller after DC’s last-over heartbreak against GT in IPL 2026: ‘That is sport’
