PBKS Vs GT, IPL 2026: Debutant Cooper Connolly's Half-Century Drives Punjab Kings To 3-Wicket Victory In Thriller
Young southpaw Cooper Connolly marked his IPL debut with a decisive 44-ball 72 after Yuzvendra Chahal's artistry with the ball to power Punjab Kings to a three-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh on Tuesday. After PBKS opted to field first, leg-spinner Chahal (2/28 in 4 overs) brought his years of experience to the fore to stymie GT in the middle overs and limit them to 162/6. Seamer Vijaykumar Vyshak grabbed 3/34 for PBKS. After almost losing their way with the bat due to Prasidh Krishna's (3/29 in 4 overs) excellent bowling, PBKS completed the chase of 163 with five balls to spare. Connolly and Prabhsimran Singh (37 off 24 balls) laid the foundation for the win with a 76-run partnership for the second wicket. Earlier, skipper Shubman Gill (39 off 27 balls) and Jos Buttler (38 off 33 balls) were the chief contributors for GT in an insipid batting display.
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting chats with captain Shreyas Iyer, right, during a warm-up session ahead of their Indian Premier League clash against Gujarat Titans in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Pyla Avinash, left, and Suryansh Shedge warm up before an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, in Mullanpur. | Photo: PTI/Shiva Sharma
Gujarat Titans' Rashid Khan during a warm-up session before the start of the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' captain Shubman Gill plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Xavier Bartlett loses balance after bowling a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan touch the glows as they bats during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Marco Jansen, center, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Gujarat Titans' Sai Sudharsan during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Jos Buttler plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Marco Jansen bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' captain Shubman Gill plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Yuzvendra Chahal bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Jos Buttler plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Yuzvendra Chahal, second from left, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Gujarat Titans' captain Shubman Gill during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Jos Buttler plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Glenn Phillips plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Vijaykumar Vyshak celebrates with captain Shreyas Iyer, right, the wicket of Gujarat Titans' Glenn Phillips during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Washington Sundar plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Vyshak Vijaykumar bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Xavier Bartlett, right, celebrates with teammate after takes the catch to dismiss Gujarat Titans' Jos Buttler during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Arshdeep Singh tosses the ball after takes the catch to dismiss Gujarat Titans' Washington Sundar during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Vyshak Vijaykumar celebrates the wicket of Gujarat Titans' M Shahrukh Khan during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' co-owner Preity Zinta throw jersey to the stands during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Mohammed Siraj bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Ashok Sharma, left, celebrates with Mohammed Siraj after takes the catch to dismiss Punjab Kings' Priyansh Arya during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Cooper Connolly plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Prabhsimran Singh hits a six during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Cooper Connolly plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Rashid Khan, front, celebrates the wicket of Punjab Kings' Prabhsimran Singh during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Cooper Connolly and Shreyas Iyer encourage each other as they bat during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer reacts after a shot hitter by Cooper Connolly during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Prasidh Krishna celebrates with teammates the wicket of Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Nehal Wadhera plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigar. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Prasidh Krishna celebrates with Kagiso Rabada the wicket of Punjab Kings' Shashank Singh during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Cooper Connolly celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Gujarat Titans' Ashok Sharma, right, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Punjab Kings' Marco Jansen during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
Punjab Kings' Cooper Connolly, left, and Xavier Bartlett celebrate after winning the Indian Premier League cricket match against Gujarat Titans in New Chandigarh. | Photo: AP/Ashwini Bhatia
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