Brief Score: Punjab Kings (165/7 in 19.2 ov) beat Gujarat Titans (162/6) by three wickets in Mullanpur
Cooper Connolly delivered a debut to remember, producing a composed 44-ball 72* to steer Punjab Kings to a tense three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2026 opener in Mullanpur. The 22-year-old Australian held the innings together in a tricky chase of 163, keeping his composure as wickets fell in clusters around him and ensuring PBKS stayed on course when the game threatened to drift.
PBKS vs GT, IPL 2026: Highlights | Scorecard
The early pattern of IPL 2026 continued, with the chasing side and the team winning the toss, making it four wins in four. Yet, unlike the previous straightforward chases, this one tested Punjab’s nerve. A late wobble briefly swung the momentum Gujarat’s way, but Connolly’s calm presence proved decisive as PBKS scraped through in the first real thriller of the season.
PBKS did not get off to the ideal start as Kagiso Rabada cramped Priyansh Arya for room with pace and accuracy, dismissing the opener early. The ball, delivered at 142 kph, climbed into Arya’s body and rushed him on the pull, with debutant Ashok Sharma completing a fine catch at midwicket.
Chasing 164 for a season-opening win, Punjab were jolted early, but Rabada’s next over proved costly. Once he pitched it up, he was taken apart for three sixes, including one off a slower ball, as the pressure briefly shifted.
At the other end, Cooper Connolly and Prabhsimran Singh rebuilt smartly, choosing the right balls to attack. Their strokeplay was assured, highlighted by Connolly’s crisp slash over cover off Ashok Sharma. Prabhsimran survived an LBW call on review and soon launched a spinner over long-on, with Connolly following suit to take Punjab to seven sixes inside eight overs, compared to Gujarat’s three in their entire innings.
Rashid Khan then turned the tide. Prabhsimran, looking set, stepped out to attack but holed out, managing just two runs off eight balls against the leg-spinner. That wicket triggered a collapse.
With 54 needed off 47 balls and a light drizzle setting in, Punjab began to lose their way. Nehal Wadhera fell attempting an ambitious loft, Shashank Singh was caught behind off Prasidh Krishna, and Marcus Stoinis followed soon after, guiding a short ball to deep third. Four wickets fell for just eight runs in 16 balls as Punjab slipped to 118 for five, with Gujarat moving ahead on DLS.
Shreyas Iyer briefly countered with two sixes off Ashok Sharma but fell soon after, flicking Prasidh to deep midwicket. Washington Sundar and Prasidh tightened the squeeze as Gujarat clawed back into the contest. Amid the collapse, Connolly brought up a 34-ball fifty and steadied nerves with a six off Rabada. Marco Jansen chipped in with a six but struggled for fluency before falling to Ashok.
With 16 needed off the final two overs and only three wickets in hand, the game hung in the balance. Prasidh’s penultimate over, however, went for 14, courtesy of a boundary from Bartlett and a six from Connolly, shifting the momentum decisively.
Connolly then finished it off in style, holding his nerve to guide Punjab home in a tense finish. The young Australian struck five sixes and five fours in a match-winning 72.
CHAHAL, VYSHAK RESTRICT GT
Earlier, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal brought his experience to the fore to control the middle overs and help restrict Gujarat Titans to 162 for 6 on a good batting surface. Chahal returned figures of 2 for 28 in four overs, while seamer Vijaykumar Vyshak claimed 3 for 34.
Skipper Gill scored 39 off 27 balls and Jos Buttler made 38 off 33, the two main contributors in an otherwise subdued batting effort.
Sent in to bat, Gill began fluently, dealing in boundaries as Gujarat raced to 35 in three overs. He looked in excellent touch, picking the gaps at will and scoring at a brisk rate, forcing Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer to make an early change and introduce Marco Jansen.
The move paid off immediately as Jansen had Sai Sudharsan caught at mid-off. Sudharsan attempted to loft the ball over mid-on but sliced it straight to Iyer, handing Punjab a much-needed breakthrough in the fourth over.
That brought Buttler to the crease, and the England batter got off the mark in style, driving Vijaykumar Vyshak through the covers for a boundary. The shot appeared to settle him. He followed it with a cut through backward point off Jansen and then struck the first six of the match, lofting Vyshak straight down the ground after the seamer failed to execute a slower ball.
Gujarat ended the powerplay at 54 for 1, with Punjab pulling things back after conceding freely in the first three overs.
Chahal came into the attack in the eighth over and continued his strong record against Gill. Having dismissed him three times in previous IPL meetings, he added another as the Gujarat captain holed out to deep midwicket after being deceived by a slightly slower delivery that did not travel far enough.
Glenn Phillips counterattacked briefly, striking Chahal over long-on for a six, while Buttler also cleared mid-on off a short ball from Xavier Bartlett. However, Punjab tightened their grip through the middle overs and ensured Gujarat never fully broke free.
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