Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by three wickets in Match No. 4 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Tuesday, March 31, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh.
Gujarat Titans were restricted to a modest total of 162/6 in 20 overs, with captain Shubman Gill top-scoring with 39 and Jos Buttler adding 38. For PBKS, Vijaykumar Vyshak took 3/34, while leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal claimed 2/28 in their four overs.
During the chase, PBKS got off to a strong start as Prabhsimran Singh and Cooper Connolly put together a 76-run partnership for the second wicket in 49 balls. After Prabhsimran’s dismissal, wickets fell at regular intervals as GT tried to regain control. However, Connolly held his nerve and guided PBKS to victory with an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls, including five boundaries and five sixes at a strike rate of 163.64, marking a match-winning debut performance. From GT, right-arm pacer Prasidh Krishna bowled well, returning figures of 3/29, but could not prevent his team from losing the match.
PBKS, the runners-up of IPL 2025 after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), have come back stronger in IPL 2026, opening their campaign with a thrilling win in front of their home crowd at Mullanpur. On the other hand, GT, who finished fourth last season, are still searching for their first victory in this edition. PBKS will next face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday, April 3, at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, while GT will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Saturday, April 4, at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
[WATCH] Bartlett’s stunning catch to dismiss Buttler
Here are some key stats from PBKS vs GT, Match 4, IPL 2026
- Cooper Connolly became the 25th player in IPL history to score a 50+ on debut.
- Vijaykumar Vyshak’s figures of 3/34 at Mullanpur rank as the third-best bowling performance for Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Gujarat Titans (GT).
- Kagiso Rabada completed 300 wickets in 20-over cricket.
