In a thrilling fourth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Punjab Kings (PBKS) secured a hard-fought 3-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in Mullanpur.
The home team won the toss and opted to bowl first. Punjab’s bowling arsenal made excellent use of the home conditions, consistently keeping a tight line and length. Vijaykumar Vyshak was the standout player, derailing the Titans’ momentum with important wickets and concluding with figures of 3/34. He was well backed by veteran Yuzvendra Chahal, who stifled the run flow in the middle innings, finishing with a clinical 2/28 from four overs.
Chasing 163, Cooper Connolly (72*) led the chase with a magnificent, match-winning knock, which included five big sixes. Earlier, Prabhsimran Singh (37) set the tone with some scorching boundaries to provide the needed early push. The side also suffered a hiccup in the middle overs, as in a matter of minutes, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, and Marcus Stoinis all left for single digits, leaving the home audience astonished. Despite the chaos, Connolly’s resiliency under pressure kept Punjab ahead of the required run rate. With the pressure at its pinnacle, Xavier Bartlett found a boundary to relieve the tension, while Connolly smashed a tremendous six off Prasidh to reverse the tide again. The penultimate over produced 14 runs, leaving only a few runs in the last one.
Gujarat Titans had a cautious start, led by skipper Shubman Gill (39). He was assisted by Jos Buttler (38), whose patient innings helped to steady the ship following Sai Sudharsan‘s early departure. However, the Titans struggled to get into a higher gear throughout the middle overs. While Glenn Phillips (25) provided a late spark, PBKS spinners kept big hitters like Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan quiet, limiting GT to a relatively low total of 162/6.
The Titans’ bowlers fought valiantly, with Prasidh Krishna delivering a standout performance. He was the main threat, taking 3/29 and producing tremendous bounce to keep the PBKS batters on their toes. Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan each took a wicket to keep the game close, with Rashid’s economical 1/29 making the chase appear tough in the final stages.
With this win, PBKS have secured their first two points of the season.
Scorecard:
Gujarat Titans: 162/6, Overs 20, Shubman Gill 39, Vijaykumar Vyshak 3/34
Punjab Kings: 165/7 Overs 19.1, Cooper Connolly 72*, Prasidh Krishna 3/29
