Newcomer Cooper Connolly hammered an undefeated 72 as Punjab Kings scraped past Gujarat Titans by three wickets in Mullanpur. Connolly’s rescue act helped PBKS stumble across the line, chasing down 163 with just five deliveries remaining. Prasidh Krishna sparked Gujarat Titans’ revival after Punjab Kings had looked comfortable early on. The pursuit gained momentum through a vital 53-run second-wicket stand between Connolly and Prabhsimran Singh. Prasidh managed respectable figures of 3/29. Before that drama, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yuzvendra Chahal did the heavy lifting with the ball as Punjab Kings held Gujarat Titans to a modest 162/6. Vyshak (3/34) and Chahal (2/28) spearheaded a disciplined bowling display for PBKS after skipper Shreyas Iyer chose to field. Shubman Gill managed GT’s highest score with 39, while Jos Buttler and Glenn Phillips contributed brief cameos of 38 and 25 respectively. Debutant Connolly Surprised With His Batting In A Crucial Thriller Game .
TOSS
Punjab Kings won the coin flip and decided to bowl first
PLAYING XI
Punjab Kings (Playing XI):
Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI):
Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, M Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj
GUJARAT TITANS
Following three promising partnerships at the top, Gujarat Titans appeared destined for a 200+ total until Vijaykumar Vyshak’s timely intervention deflated their balloon. His dismissal of the threatening Glenn Phillips through a well-disguised slower delivery left Titans gasping at 119/3 after 14 overs. The visitors never found their feet again. Titans, predictably overdependent on their top order throughout IPL 2025, fell into the same trap once more. No substantial partnerships materialized afterward, and Vyshak collected their supposed finishers – Washington Sundar and Shahrukh Khan – in the 19th over to effectively seal Titans’ fate with an underwhelming total.
Thanks to Arshdeep Singh’s charitable 20th over that featured four wides, two free-hits, a no-ball and 12 runs conceded. Remarkably, this messy display turned out to be the costliest over during the death phase – a period where batters otherwise managed just two boundaries.
PUNJAB KINGS
Straight through. Six-hitting became PBKS’ trademark throughout their chase, regardless of match situation and despite sporadic rain interruptions. Prabhsimran Singh and Connolly, combining for a 76-run partnership across 49 balls, launched four maximums apiece to seize control despite losing an early wicket. Captain Shreyas Iyer, arriving after that second-wicket alliance, added two more sixes during his brief 11-ball innings worth 18.
Naturally, there were complications. Impact substitute Prasidh Krishna remained mysteriously absent until Punjab’s 13th over. However, he immediately made his presence felt – dismissing Nehal Wadhera with his opening delivery and Shashank Singh with his second over’s second ball. Following the strategic timeout, he removed the threatening Marcus Stoinis with a bouncer in the same over. Punjab collapsed from a seemingly secure 110/2 to a precarious 118/6 within 14 deliveries. Combined with steady drizzle, the hosts must have felt the walls closing in.
Enter the debutant, taking liberties against veteran Rabada. When offered room, Connolly slashed it behind point to complete a 34-ball fifty on his IPL debut. He concluded the over by launching a short delivery over deep square leg for six. Critically, this shifted the equation back in PBKS’ favor with 30 needed from four overs. Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett each cleared the ropes to sustain momentum, while Connolly delivered the finishing blows with consecutive boundaries, including the match-winner on the final over’s opening ball.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 162/6 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 39 off 27, Glenn Phillips 25 off 17; Vijaykumar Vyshak 3-34, Yuzvendra Chahal 2-28) lost to Punjab Kings 165/7 in 19.1 overs (Cooper Connolly 72* off 44, Prabhsimran Singh 37 off 24; Prasidh Krishna 3-29) by 3 wickets
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