The pair helped steer Delhi to a stirring three-wicket win at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Monday.
A furious early onslaught by opener Priyansh Arya was the bedrock around which Punjab, coming off a hat-trick of losses, posted a commanding 210-5.
No team had ever successfully chased down a total in excess of 200 at the venue.
Punjab seemed to have things under control when Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur reduced Delhi to 33 for three inside the first five overs.
However, Miller and Axar reignited their hopes with a 64-run stand for the fifth wicket, after which impact player Ashutosh Sharma and Madhav Tiwari, playing his first game of the season, tore into the Punjab bowling to secure victory with six deliveries to spare.
Axar came into this game with just 44 runs from eight previous innings but found form when it mattered most, unleashing a flurry of boundaries that unsettled the pace-heavy Punjab attack.
Leftiesβ delight π
Sumptuous strokes from Captain Axar Patel and David Miller π₯
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With the ball becoming greasy, thanks to a damp outfield, the bowlers had trouble gripping it and Axar and Miller made merry, picking off fours and sixes at will to keep their team in the hunt.
Both fell not long after bringing up their respective fifties but Delhi werenβt done yet.
Twist in the tale π
David Miller departs right after his fifty courtesy of an exceptional catch by Prabhsimran Singh β¨
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Earlier, Millerβs countryman Tristan Stubbs had been run out for 12.
ππͺπ₯ππ§ πΎπ€π€π₯ππ§ hitting the bullseye! π―
π₯ A pin-point direct hit catches Tristan Stubbs way short of his crease π₯
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Ashutosh and Tiwari embarked on a six-hitting spree against the Australian duo of Ben Dwarshuis and Marcus Stoinis, and Auqib Nabi brought up a much-needed victory by slamming Thakur for a straight six.
Ice in their veins and pure fire in their bats! π§π₯
Madhav Tiwari & Ashutosh Sharma with match-winning clutch cameos to seal the deal for #DC π«‘
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Punjab had earlier shown no signs of the pressure they must have felt after three successive losses as Arya got the match off to a stunning start by driving the first ball, from Mitchell Starc, over point for six.
The Australian paceman conceded 22 in the first over, a sign of things to come with the Delhi bowlers going too full in looking for non-existent swing.
Once they pulled their lengths back a little, the quick bowlers were harder to hit and the Punjab innings wobbled briefly before skipper Shreyas Iyer and young Australian star Cooper Connolly rode to their rescue with a stand of 83 for the third wicket.
Suryansh Shedge then weighed in with 21 off only eight deliveries, but Delhiβs resolve proved stronger as they staved off elimination with their fifth win of the season.
β AFP
