Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel urged his team to stay calm and not let one heartbreaking result define their IPL 2026 campaign after their one-run loss to the Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. In the dressing room, Axar tried to lift the mood, reminding his players that the tournament is long and there is still plenty of time to bounce back.
In a franchise video shared after the match, Axar stressed the importance of emotional control in pressure situations. He told the squad to keep smiling, move on quickly, and prepare for the next challenge in Chennai. His message came after a finish that left Delhi agonisingly short despite fighting hard until the very end.
“Start of the season, I told, you know, control the emotion and stay calm in any situation. All are, you know, sad, feeling sad. We can still smile, it’s okay. It’s a long tournament,” Axar Patel was heard saying.
WATCH – Babar Azam Responds Strongly To Virat Kohli Comparison After Last-Ball Win
Gujarat Titans finally opened their account in IPL 2026 with a dramatic win after a tense final over. Chasing 211, Delhi Capitals finished on 209/8, missing out by the narrowest margin in a contest that swung wildly in the closing overs.
We keep smiling 😄💙 pic.twitter.com/DWdyihcmzA
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 9, 2026
The decisive moment came when David Miller, who had kept Delhi alive with a superb unbeaten 41 off 20 balls, chose not to take a single off the penultimate delivery from Prasidh Krishna. With Kuldeep Yadav at the other end, that call added to the pressure, and the final ball produced even more drama. Miller failed to connect with a slower bouncer, and Kuldeep was run out as Jos Buttler completed the crucial dismissal behind the stumps.
ALSO READ: Sunil Gavaskar Defends David Miller’s Costly Call: “You Can’t Fault Him”
Earlier, Miller had reignited Delhi’s chase with a stunning 23-run over against Mohammed Siraj, including two sixes and a boundary. But Gujarat held their nerve at the death to seal a memorable one-run victory, handing Delhi their first defeat of the season and turning the match into one of the early thrillers of IPL 2026.
