Punjab Kings defeated Gujarat Titans by three wickets in their opening game of the IPL 2026. The Shubman Gill-led side had a rough time with the bat, as they struggled to build partnerships. The captain and Jos Buttler managed to keep the scoreboard ticking for a while, scoring 39 and 38 runs, respectively, but once they moved back to the pavilion, wickets fell like a house of cards as Gujarat posted a modest 162 runs in the first innings.
In modern cricket, when 220 runs isn’t quite safe, Gujaratโs total posed little to no threat to Punjab. The middle order featuring Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia were struggling to even rotate strike as their strike rate was heavily concerning. After the match, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra highlightedย the fact, stating that Gujarat need to change their batting structure immediately, to get back into winning ways.
โFor Gujarat Titans, the top three will have to fire because they are not giving themselves the opportunity to figure out a different way. Not many would believe it, but Glenn Phillipsโ 25 is actually his highest score in the IPL so far. You would want him to contribute more consistently, and Washington Sundar also needs to score at a quicker rate because he seemed a bit stuck. They have continued with Shahrukh Khan, but I felt Kumar Kushagra also had a case for selection,โ Chopra said on Star Sports.
โGT need to rethink how their 4, 5, and 6 are structured. Even the bowling plans were puzzling. Siraj still had two overs left when the game was almost done, and Prasidh Krishna was brought in quite late. Overall, Shubman Gillโs captaincy also left a bit to be desired,โ he added.
Cooper Connolly steals show
Chasing 163 runs, Cooper Connolly smacked unbeaten 72 runs of 44 balls to win the game for Punjab. On his debut, the young Australia international proved his mettle and was adjudged the Player of the Match. Punjab felt the turbulence towards the end when Prasidh Krishna struck thrice, but Connolly kept his calm and got the job done for his team.ย
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