31 March,2026 11:24 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Copper Connolly (Pic: AFP)
Punjab Kings survived a scare to defeat the Gujarat Titans by 3 wickets. The Shreyas Iyer-led team were crusing at the halfway mark before losing four wickets in 3 overs. However, debutant Cooper Connolly scored an unbeaten 72 to guide the hosts home.
Punjab Kings started off strongly while chasing the Gujarat Titans' total of 163 runs. Opener Prabhsimran Singh scored 20 runs of 12 balls, while Australian Cooper Connolly scored 27 runs of 16 balls to put the team in a strong position at the end of the Powerplay.
After Prabhsimran Singh's dismissal, captain Shreyas Iyer too departed soon, after Prasidh Krishna was brought into the attack. PBKS collapsed from 110-2 to 118-6 as the Gujarat Titans mounted an unlikely comeback in the game.
Connolly, who was promoted to number 3, continued the momentum of the innings and attacked the GT bowlers. The Aussie scored his maiden half-century and was PBKS' best player with the bat. The southpaw scored 72 runs on his IPL debut.
Prasidh Krishna, brought in as an impact sub, single-handedly brought GT back in the game. The Indian pacer took the wicket of Iyer, Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis in his opening 2 overs to give GT hope.
However, PBKS batters held their nerves to win the match with 3 wickets in hand and get the first win of the season in their first match.
Having put to bat first, GT posted a total of 162 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Skipper Shubman Gill made 39 runs off 27 deliveries, laced with six boundaries.
Jos Buttler made 38 runs, while Glenn Phillips smashed 25 runs. Later, Washington Sundar departed after scoring 18 runs in 16 balls, including two boundaries.
PBKS' Vijaykumar Vyshak returned with the figures of three wickets for 34 runs in four overs. Yuzvendra Chahal bagged two wickets by conceding 28 runs in four overs.
PBKS were the defending champions last year and will hope to go one better this year. Shreyas Iyer was injured during the second innings of the match and hopes to be available for the next match.
