When you look at the LSG vs DC clash at the Ekana stadium on April 1, many moments stand out as being contenders for the Play Of The Day.

The run out of Rishabh Pant is one we can start with, followed by how Lungi Ngidi channelled his inner DJ Bravo to bamboozle Nicholas Pooran. It is always nice to see T Natarajan back on the field and his spell deserves a special mention. When it came to the second innings, Mohammed Shami and Mohsin Khan's spells and Prince Yadav's double-wicket over gave LSG the hope of a win.

LSG vs DC, IPL 2026: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD

But then, DC pulled off a masterstroke with Sameer Rizvi. When everyone expected Ashutosh Sharma to come in, they sent Rizvi in, someone who they have shown a lot of faith in the last two seasons. A 70 from him in his own backyard was enough to get DC over the line.

But these are moments on the field. At times, matches are won by ones of it as well. And on Wednesday night, it was all about that one moment.

BADANI MAKES A DASH TO MEET MILLER

So, it seemed like LSG were making a lot of inroads into the Delhi batting lineup with their use of pacers. The way that Shami bowled and the rest just followed suit right after the dismissal of KL Rahul.

It seemed like the red soil pitch suddenly looked like it had a demon inside, who had enough of seeing batters make a lot of runs. DC kept losing wickets in a flurry.

Nitish Rana, Pathum Nissanka failed to make an impact on their DC debuts, prompting Axar Patel to come in. He was cleaned up by Prince and the score was 26 for four in 4.3 overs.

At this time, DC had the option of sending in either David Miller or Tristan Stubbs. If you remember, it was Miller who changed the game for South Africa not so long ago in their Super 8 game against India in Ahmedabad. That day the Proteas were in trouble and needed a lot of help and Miller stepped up.

Ideally during this time, you feel like going with the experienced man and Miller seemed to be the safe bet. This is when the cameras caught Badani.

It looked like he was taking a stroll near the pavilion lost in his thoughts. His team was crumbling and they needed some inspiration.

Badani suddenly had the face of scientist inside his lab. A formula seemed to suddenly work and he had his eureka moment. The DC coach ran up to Miller and the southpaw was already padded up, with the helmet on.

Badani told him it was Tristan Stubbs who was going in instead and things were changed on a fly.

"It was a huge moment in that game. Because Badani running in from dressing room, coming down, talking to David Miller. Hold on, wait a minute. I think in these conditions, we need to send Stubbs. He can handle this situation much better, not that David Miller is capable of. But in this particular moment, I think they won at this particular point. Not only that, obviously once you come into a senior guy and say, ok, hold on, you can't go in right now. We are thinking something else. You're going to present yourself in a way where this guy doesn't feel bad, and he managed that," said Pathan.

Now, we have seen some such smart calls being made in the history of the game. Who can forget the MS Dhoni call to come in ahead of Yuvraj Singh during the 2011 World Cup final?

Or when Travis Head was promoted as an opener during the 1st Test of the Ashes 2025-26?

When it comes to this game, there is a reason why the move worked.

STUBBS ABSORBS THE PRESSURE

So the headlines maybe all about Rizvi and rightfully so. But Stubbs absorbed the pressure very early in his innings to allow his partner to flourish in the end.

He started off with a boundary and the intent was clear. No need to rush, just ensure to rotate the strike and punish the bad balls on offer. Just normal, no nonsense cricket.

There was a bit of a faceoff with Prince Yadav but in the end, he negated the threat from the LSG pacers. When the spinners came in, he was just happy to let Rizvi to take over and just take them down. He knew his partner was better suited for the role as he is the hometown boy.

Stubbs ended with 39 off 32 balls, but more than the innings, it will be that dash from Badani from the pavilion to the dugout that will be remembered fondly.

- Ends