Punjab Kings beat the Gujarat Titans by three wickets in the 4th match of IPL 2026 on March 31 at Mullanpur’s Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.
Set a target of 163, PBKS crossed the line in 19.1 overs, finishing at 165 for 7. The game was far from straightforward; a middle-order collapse nearly cost Punjab the match, but Cooper Connolly stood tall from start to finish, ending unbeaten on 72 off 44 balls.
It was Connolly’s IPL debut. The 22-year-old Australian played as if he had competed for years.
GT vs PBSK Match Scorecard
| IPL 2026: Gujarat Titans Vs Punjab Kings | |
| TEAMS | Points |
| Gujarat Titans | 0 |
| Punjab Kings | 2 |
| SCORES | |
| GT | 162/6 (20 overs) | Run Rate: 8.10 |
| PBSK | 165/7 (19.1 overs) | Run Rate: 8.60 ✔ WON |
| Match Details | |
| Date | 31 March 2026 |
| Venue | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Int’l Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh |
| Series | Indian Premier League 2026 |
| Match | 4th match |
| Toss | Punjab Kings won & elected to field first |
| Result | PBKS won by 3 wickets, with 5 balls remaining |
| Player of the Match | Cooper Connolly |
| Top Scorer (GT) | Shubman Gill with 39 off 27 (4×4, 1×6) |
| Top Scorer (PBKS) | Cooper Connolly with 72* off 44 (5×4, 5×6) |
| Best Bowler (GT) | Prasidh Krishna — 4-0-29-3 (Econ: 7.25) |
| Best Bowler (PBKS) | Vijaykumar Vyshak — 4-0-34-3 (Econ: 8.50) |
| Officials | |
| Umpires | Abhijit Bhattacharya (DRS) & Akshay Totre (DRS) |
| TV Umpire | KN Ananthapadmanabhan |
| Match Referee | Prakash Bhatt |
Gujarat Titans Innings: Good Start, No Finish
Gujarat Titans batted first and made 162 for 6 in 20 overs, a score that looked competitive but was never quite imposing enough on a flat pitch. The innings told a familiar story: starts without big scores.
Shubman Gill top-scored with 39 off 27, Jos Buttler made 38 off 33, and Glenn Phillips contributed 25 on his GT debut. Three of the top four reached 25, but none went past 39. Washington Sundar chipped in with 18 before the innings ran out of steam.
Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of the Punjab bowlers. He came into the attack with GT well set at 65 for 1 after seven overs and immediately changed the picture, dismissing Gill with a slog sweep that carried to deep midwicket, the fourth time Chahal had gotten the better of Gill in IPL cricket. He returned in the 16th over and removed Buttler, who was looking to accelerate but found Xavier Bartlett waiting at long-on with an excellent high catch. Chahal finished with 2 for 28.
Vijaykumar Vyshak did the damage at the death, using slower balls to excellent effect. He had Glenn Phillips caught at long-off in the 14th over, then Washington Sundar caught cutting to deep point, and Shahrukh Khan dragged one to deep square leg. Three wickets for 34 runs, and a run rate conceded of 8.50.
Marco Jansen also deserves mention: 4 overs, 1 wicket, and just 20 runs conceded at an economy of 5.00.
One blot on Punjab’s bowling was the 14 extras conceded, 11 of them wides, with four alone in Arshdeep Singh’s final over.
Punjab Kings Innings: Flying Start, Sudden Collapse, Connolly Rescue
Punjab Kings came out swinging in the power play. After Priyansh Arya fell cheaply in the second over for 7, Prabhsimran Singh and Connolly put on a 76-run stand for the second wicket that had the chase firmly under control. The pair hit three sixes in the fourth over alone, the same number GT hit in their entire innings.
Prabhsimran was aggressive and fluent, scoring 37 off 24 before attempting to charge Rashid Khan and being caught at long-on by Prasidh Krishna. PBKS were 83 for 1 at the halfway mark, well ahead of the rate. Then Prasidh Krishna happened.
Shreyas Iyer hit two sixes off Ashok Sharma to keep the momentum going, but Prasidh dismissed him next, a half-volley chipped straight to deep midwicket. What followed was a textbook T20 collapse: four wickets in 16 balls for just 8 runs.
Nehal Wadhera cut to cover, Shashank Singh nicked behind, Marcus Stoinis carved to deep third, all off Prasidh. Punjab were suddenly 121 for 6, needing 42 off 30 balls, with Connolly at the crease and the game in the balance.
Connolly Holds His Nerve When It Mattered Most
At 121 for 6, the game had shifted toward the Gujarat Titans. Connolly had other ideas.
He took on Rabada in the 16th over, cutting a short ball over backward point for four to bring up his fifty off 34 balls, then pulling the last delivery over square leg for six. The innings were back on track.
Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett provided the finishing touches. Jansen hit a six off Prasidh in the 17th over; Bartlett clubbed one in the 19th. Those hits effectively settled the match. Connolly remained unbeaten throughout, finishing at 72 off 44: 5 fours, 5 sixes, a strike rate of 163.63. Punjab Kings crossed the line with five balls to spare.
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What’s Next
Punjab Kings won’t have long to celebrate. They are back in action on April 3 against Chennai Super Kings, a tough assignment for a side eager to bounce back after their heavy loss to Rajasthan Royals in their opener. For PBKS, carrying the confidence of a last-over chase and a settled batting unit around Connolly will be key heading into Chepauk.
Gujarat Titans, meanwhile, face an even quicker turnaround. They host the Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on April, their first home game of the season. After losing this one despite three frontline wicket-takers doing their job, Shubman Gill’s side will need their top order to convert starts into match-winning scores. Another stuttering batting effort at home could put early pressure on their campaign before it has properly begun.
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