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‘Geniuses’ Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel on the firing line for dropping David Miller: ‘How can this be a serious team?’

Former India pacer Dodda Ganesh slammed Delhi Capitals for leaving out David Miller.

Updated on: May 5, 2026, 23:33:53 IST
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Former India pacer Dodda Ganesh didn't hold back, going all out in his criticism of the Delhi Capitals and the management. He didn't take kindly to the Delhi camp leaving out David Miller for the second game in a row in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Axar Patel-led side opted to stick with Pathum Nissanka for the fixture against the Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The right-hander might have hit a half-century in the previous match against the Rajasthan Royals, but failed to get going against CSK, departing after scoring just 19 runs.

Delhi Capitals slammed for leaving out David Miller. (PTI)
Delhi Capitals slammed for leaving out David Miller. (PTI)

Ganesh opined that Delhi Capitals could have had one between Prithvi Shaw, Nitish Rana, or Abishek Porel open the batting alongside KL Rahul to fit Miller into the mix.

The former India speedster was scathing in his assessment, saying the Delhi Capitals aren't a serious team and the call to have Miller on the bench makes no sense.

Also Read: DC vs CSK LIVE Score, IPL 2026: Check our live coverage here

“There’s so much Indian batting talent available in Delhi’s camp. They can so easily open with Shaw/Rana/Porel along with KL, & have Miller in the middle order. Instead, the geniuses play Nissanka at the top & drop Miller. Tell me, how can this be a serious cricket team? #IPL2026,” Ganesh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The Axar call

The Delhi score would have been down in the dumps, but Tristan Stubbs and Sameer Rizvi saved the franchise, stitching together a stand of 65 runs for the sixth wicket, taking the Delhi total to 155/7 in 20 overs. Stubbs scored 38 while Rizvi returned with an unbeaten 40. For CSK, Noor Ahmad was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 2/22 in 3 overs.

Delhi went past the 150-run mark owing to the 20 runs hit in the final over, bowled by Anshul Kamboj. Ashutosh Sharma also returned with a five-ball 14 to give the hosts something to bowl at. However, Delhi had one less bowling option after the management decided to bring in Rizvi as the impact player.

CSK chased the total down with 15 balls to spare and eight wickets in hand after Sanju Samson and Kartik Sharma played unbeaten knocks of 87 and 41.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy

Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.

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