Punjab Kings, last season’s runners-up, kicked off their IPL 2026 campaign with a slightly tense but ultimately comfortable three-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans at home on March 31. Vijaykumar Vyshak led the bowling effort with impressive figures of 3 for 34, helping restrict the Titans to 162/6 despite their strong start that hinted at a 200-plus total.
In reply, debutant Cooper Connolly played a standout knock, scoring an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls, balancing aggression with composure. PBKS did stumble in the middle overs, losing four wickets for just eight runs, but Connolly steadied the innings and guided the team through the final phase, sealing the win with five balls remaining.
Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yuzi handle the bowling for PBKS
After building three strong partnerships at the top, Gujarat Titans looked on course for a 200-plus total before Vijaykumar Vyshak delivered a key breakthrough that shifted the momentum. He dismissed the in-form Glenn Phillips with a well-disguised slower ball, leaving the Titans at 119/3 at the end of the 14th over and halting their progress. From that point on, they struggled to regain control.
Much like their campaign in IPL 2025, the Titans once again leaned heavily on their top order, but the middle and lower order failed to step up. No significant partnerships followed, and the innings lost direction. Vyshak further dented their chances by removing finishers Washington Sundar and Shahrukh Khan around the 19th over, effectively ensuring the total would remain below expectations.
A slightly wayward final over from Arshdeep Singh added some late runs, featuring four wides, a no-ball, two free-hits, and 12 runs overall. Surprisingly, that turned out to be the most expensive of the final five overs, a phase in which boundaries were otherwise scarce, with batters managing to find the fence only twice.
Cooper Connolly emerges as a new match winner
Punjab Kings kept the momentum going throughout their chase, with six-hitting proving to be a consistent feature despite intermittent rain interruptions. Prabhsimran Singh and debutant Cooper Connolly stitched together a 76-run partnership off 49 balls, hitting four sixes each to put the team firmly in control after an early setback. Skipper Shreyas Iyer added to the charge with a quick 18 off 11 balls, including two sixes, keeping the pressure on the opposition.
However, the game took a dramatic turn when impact substitute Prasidh Krishna was introduced late, only in the 13th over. He made an immediate impact, dismissing Nehal Wadhera with his very first ball and removing Shashank Singh soon after. Following the strategic timeout, he struck again in the same over, getting rid of the dangerous Marcus Stoinis with a sharp short delivery. This sudden burst saw Punjab collapse from a comfortable 110/2 to 118/6 in just 14 balls, with the drizzle adding to the tension in the hosts’ camp.
Connolly, though, held his nerve and continued to anchor the innings. He brought up a fine half-century on debut, reaching the milestone in 34 balls with a cut shot off Kagiso Rabada, and capped the over with a six over deep square leg. That knock shifted the equation back in Punjab’s favour, leaving them needing 30 off the final four overs. Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett chipped in with a six each to sustain the momentum, before Connolly sealed the chase with a couple of boundaries, including the winning runs off the first ball of the last over.
SCORECARD: Gujarat Titans 162/6 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 39 off 27, Glenn Phillips 25 off 17; Vijaykumar Vyshak 3-34, Yuzvendra Chahal 2-28) lost to Punjab Kings 165/7 in 19.1 overs (Cooper Connolly 72* off 44, Prabhsimran Singh 37 off 24; Prasidh Krishna 3-29) by 3 wickets