Gujarat Titans lost their first game of IPL 2026 with five balls to spare. They were in with a chance until the second-last ball in their second game. They were on the verge of a defeat with two balls to go in their third game, but with 2 needed off 2, Delhi Capitals‘ David Miller declined an easy single.

“We have a chance to win,” was GT captain Shubman Gill‘s thought at the time.

For the final delivery, Prasidh Krishna followed it up with a slower bouncer that beat the bat and Jos Buttler‘s direct hit finished the game. Gill later revealed that it was a conscious choice to go with the slower delivery.

“We were just discussing whether to go for the yorker or to go for the slower one, we decided that given the wicket how it’s playing, the slower one, a good slower one will be difficult to hit for a boundary.”

The victory was set up by GT’s batters. Three of the top four – Gill, Buttler and Washington Sundar – made fifties. At 168 for 2 after 16 overs, they were set for a massive finish but managed to make 42 in the last four. However, that was also an indication that DC would find it tough.

“Very pleased [with the batting],” Gill said, “We always thought 210 on this [pitch] we are 10-15 runs above par.  Even when we were batting in the death, it wasn’t easy to hit the big boundaries given the slowness of the wicket. We thought if we bowled well, we should be able to win this one.”

It was a return to form for Buttler, who had scored just 87 runs across eight innings in the T20 World Cup, and was unable to convert starts (38 and 26) in the first two games of the IPL. While he admitted he had been searching for runs, he was also sure that they would ‘come back at some point.’

“Great to get the win, blind squirrels and all that,” Buttler said. “Very lucky throw but, obviously delighted, we desperately needed a win. So, glad we managed to sneak through.

“[Feeling] good, been searching for them [runs] a little bit. Felt in good touch actually, since I’ve been here. I’ve played for long enough to know that it’ll come back at some point. You just gotta keep working through it.

“It’s a long tournament, you need to start well. There’s only four playoff spots, so it’s intense competition and we desperately needed some points on the board and give some good confidence to the boys there to get a win.

GT’s next game is against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on April 12.