Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has officially been lit. In a fierce match at Mullanpur Stadium, New Chandigarh Punjab Kings (PBKS) achieved a thrilling victory by three wickets Gujarat Titans (GT) On Tuesday. In only the fourth match of the season, fans were treated to a down-to-the-wire classic that saw the 21-year-old Australian sensation swing like a pendulum. cooper connolly Announced their arrival on the world stage with a match-winning masterclass.
GT posted a strong score against the determined bowling of PBKS
In the light of New Chandigarh, won the toss and decided to bowl. Shreyas IyerPunjab Kings displayed a masterclass in defensive bowling during the middle overs. Gujarat Titans’ innings was a story of promising starts that failed to reach big scores. Shubman Gill Looked in excellent form, he took charge of the top order by playing an excellent inning of 39 runs in 27 balls with the help of 4 fours and a six. At the same time, always dangerous jos buttler Played a measured inning of 38 runs on 33 balls.
However, the PBKS spin duo turned the tables. Yuzvendra Chahal He was the architect of the squeeze, removing both Gill and Buttler to end with figures of 2/28. As the Titans sought to accelerate, vijaykumar vaishya Emerged as an unlikely hero at the time of his death. Vishak’s triple attack, removing glen phillips (25), washington beautiful (18), and Shahrukh Khan (4) Derailed the GT finish. Despite the late cameo Rahul TewatiaGT reached 162/6 in their 20 overs. It was a competitive score, but on the pristine surface of the new Chandigarh, the Kings knew they had a fight on their hands.
Cooper Connolly leads PBKS to dramatic win over GT in IPL 2026
The chase began with a stutter Priyansh Arya fell early Kagiso RabadaBut soon the stadium exploded cooper connolly Took center stage. Promoted up the order, Connolly played an innings with maturity beyond his years. While wickets kept falling around him – including the collapse of the middle order Prasidh Krishna (3/29) He saw marcus stoinis And Shashank Singh Fell for ducks but Connolly remained the calm eye of the storm.
PBKS found themselves in a precarious position at 118/6, still needing 45 runs with the tail exposed. However, Connolly changed gears with ease. He brought up his half-century off just 34 balls, executing any short and using his feet beautifully against spin Rashid Khan. His unbeaten inning of 72 runs in 44 balls with the help of 9 fours and 5 skyscraper sixes kept the asking rate under control.
The drama was at its peak in the last overs. with marco janson Falling for 9 runs, the pressure was on Connolly and Xavier Bartlett. With 13 runs needed from the last two overs, Connolly showed great composure. He dismantled the GT attack with surgical precision, reducing PBKS to 165/7 with five balls remaining. The win was sealed in the 20th over, electrifying the home crowd and registering PBKS’s first win of the 2026 campaign.
See also: Xavier Bartlett delivers a screamer to remove steady Jos Buttler in PBKS vs GT game
Here’s how fans reacted:
The 22-year-old Australian played a brilliant innings to take his team home#Cricket #PBKSvsGT #IPL2026 #crickettwitter pic.twitter.com/1BZNeS7UbC
– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) 31 March 2026
Half century by Cooper Connolly in 34 balls.
Great innings from the debutant! pic.twitter.com/1AWDgfeL3x
-RajSadde2 (@RajSadde2) 31 March 2026
#PBKSvGT The one and only Cooper Connolly ✅
Cooper Connolly became Angad of Punjab Kings.#TATAIPL | #khelbindaas | | @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/ISaa65o6gd-Shubham Rajput (@rajputshubham59) 31 March 2026
🚨Australian player will score fifty on IPL debut🚨
Michael Hussey – CSK
Shaun Marsh – PBKS
James Hopes – PBKS
David Warner – DC
Jake Fraser – McGurk – DC
Cooper Connolly – PBKS….. See More pic.twitter.com/rPkmCV756I– Akash (@klrvikash) 31 March 2026
Well played Cooper Connolly 👏#PBKS #csk https://t.co/Pq5Ipx7QHh pic.twitter.com/CJaQkx3CwE
– PLV Arun (@Arunstunner) 31 March 2026
The game was over, but Cooper Connolly pulled it back, what an incredible batting performance from the 22-year-old young talent.
Great start for Punjab Kings, they won against Gujarat Titans in their first match ❤️🔥pic.twitter.com/ytpuUtZcMe
– Ishwar (@ej_memezz__) 31 March 2026
Usually players who perform in the Big Bash don’t perform well in the IPL… but I think we have found our superstar in Cooper Connolly for this season… pic.twitter.com/NU9Tho0uA6
– Jagseer Singh Sandhu (@sandhujagseer07) 31 March 2026
Cooper Connolly is giving off KXIP Shaun Marsh vibes. Lucky if he maintains this consistency.
– Air (@GEAR_UPv18) 31 March 2026
Cooper Connolly hits it out of the park once again.
PBKS has selected ☠️
This is still true 🤷
pic.twitter.com/sBbYk5WrfX https://t.co/EooIb2HqGp
– Kashif (@KashifNdmCric) 31 March 2026
Cooper Connolly scored a half-century in just 34 balls on his IPL debut!!🔥 pic.twitter.com/ofaQi3hWET
– Fatima (@Fatima7223) 31 March 2026
Steve Smith fan boy Cooper Connolly is reviving the old IPL vibes 😭🔥🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/EvOnzrt47C
– Akber Tennyson (@akbertweets) 31 March 2026
Also read: This is why PBKS’s Cooper Connolly will not bowl against Gujarat Titans in today’s match
