An unbeaten 72 from Cooper Connolly saw Punjab Kings begin their IPL 2026 campaign with a nail-biting 3-wicket win in Mullanpur. Chasing 163, PBKS were in deep trouble after Prasidh Krishna forced a middle overs collapse. However, Connolly held his nerve to guide the team to victory in the final over to clinch valuable 2 points in front of their home crowd.
Punjab Kings won the toss and opted to field first at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mullanpur. Gujarat Titans' top order got them off to a settled start with Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill both getting starts.
In what was the story of the Gujarat Titans innings, players rotated strike but failed to press onto the accelerator. Yuzvendra Chahal, Marco Jansen and Vijaykumar Vyshak all chipped in with valuable spells. It was only Arshdeep's 11-ball final over that saw Gujarat reach to 162.
In response, Punjab Kings lost Priyansh Arya early. Prabhsimran Singh and Cooper Connolly put on a crucial 76-run partnership to put the team on the front foot.
In what looked a straightforward chase, Punjab Kings lost the plot after Prasidh Krishna struck thrice. PBKS slipped from 102/2 to 118/6. However, Connolly in his debut, smashed a half-century to take his team over the line with three wickets to spare.
