Fans go wild as Cooper Connolly holds his nerves to push PBKS over the line against GT in IPL 2026 showdown

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has officially ignited. In a pulsating encounter at the Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) secured a thrilling three-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Tuesday. In what was only the fourth match of the season, fans were treated to a down to the wire classic that saw momentum swing like a pendulum before 21-year-old Australian sensation Cooper Connolly announced his arrival on the world stage with a match-winning masterclass.

Winning the toss and opting to bowl under the lights of New Chandigarh, Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings showcased a masterclass in defensive bowling during the middle overs. The Gujarat Titans’ innings was a tale of promising starts that failed to explode into a massive total. Shubman Gill looked in exquisite touch, anchoring the top order with a classy 39 off 27 balls, laced with 4-fours and a six. Alongside him, the ever-dangerous Jos Buttler played a measured knock of 38 off 33 balls.

However, the PBKS spin duo turned the tide. Yuzvendra Chahal was the architect of the squeeze, removing both Gill and Buttler to finish with figures of 2/28. As the Titans looked to accelerate, Vijaykumar Vyshak emerged as the unlikely hero at the death. Vyshak’s triple strike, removing Glenn Phillips (25), Washington Sundar (18), and Shahrukh Khan (4) derailed the GT finish. Despite a late cameo from Rahul Tewatia, GT reached 162/6 in their 20 overs. It was a competitive score, but on a pristine New Chandigarh surface, the Kings knew they had a fight on their hands.

The chase began with a stutter as Priyansh Arya fell early to Kagiso Rabada, but the stadium soon erupted as Cooper Connolly took center stage. Promoted up the order, Connolly played an innings of maturity far beyond his years. While wickets tumbled around him—including a middle-order collapse triggered by Prasidh Krishna (3/29) that saw Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh fall 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. Connolly, however, shifted gears effortlessly. He reached his half-century off just 34 balls, punishing anything short and using his feet beautifully against the spin of Rashid Khan. His unbeaten 72 off 44 balls, featuring 9 fours and 5 massive sixes, kept the asking rate under control.

The drama peaked in the final overs. With Marco Jansen falling for 9, the pressure was on Connolly and Xavier Bartlett. Needing 13 off the final two overs, Connolly showed ice-cold composure. He dismantled the GT attack with surgical precision, guiding PBKS to 165/7 with five balls to spare. The victory was sealed in the 20th over, sending the home crowd into a frenzy and marking PBKS’s first statement win of the 2026 campaign.

Also WATCH: Xavier Bartlett plucks a screamer to remove steady Jos Buttler in PBKS vs GT game

22-year-old Australian has played a fantastic knock to take his team home 👏🔥#cricket #PBKSvsGT #ipl2026 #CricketTwitter

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) March 31, 2026

34 BALL FIFTY BY COOPER CONNOLLY.

A splendid innings by the debutant!

— PHENOMENAL_1 (@RajSadde2) March 31, 2026

#PBKSvGT One in only Cooper Connolly ✅Cooper Connolly Punjab Kings का अंगद बन गया.#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | | @PunjabKingsIPL

— Shubham Rajput (@rajputshubham59) March 31, 2026

🚨AUSTRALIAN PLAYERS TO SCORE FIFTY ON IPL DEBUT🚨

Michael Hussey – CSKShaun Marsh – PBKSJames Hopes – PBKSDavid Warner – DCJake Fraser – McGurk – DCCooper Connolly – PBKS ….. See more

— Akash (@klrvikash) March 31, 2026

Well Played Cooper Connolly 👏#PBKS #CSK https://t.co/Pq5Ipx7QHh

— PLV Arun (@Arunstunner) March 31, 2026

The game was gone, but Cooper Connolly pulled it back ,what an incredible batting performance from the 22-year-old young talent.

Great start by Punjab Kings as they registered a win against Gujarat Titans in their first match ❤️🔥

— Eshwar (@ej_memezz__) March 31, 2026

Usually BIG-Bash performers don’t perform well in IPL…. But I think We got our Superstar for this season in COOPER Connolly….

— Jagseer Singh Sandhu (@sandhujagseer07) March 31, 2026

Cooper Connolly giving KXIP Shaun Marsh vibes. Lucky if he maintains this consistency.

— Vayu (@GEAR_UPv18) March 31, 2026

Cooper Connolly smashing it out of the park once again.

PBKS nailed the pick ☠️

That’s still true 🤷

https://t.co/EooIb2HqGp

— Kashif (@KashifNdmCric) March 31, 2026

FIFTY FOR COOPER CONNOLLY ON HIS IPL DEBUT FROM JUST 34 BALLS!!🔥

— Fatima (@Fatima7223) March 31, 2026

Steve smith's fan boy cooper connolly reviving old IPL vibes 😭🔥🙌🏻

— Akbar Tennyson (@akbertweets) March 31, 2026

Also READ: Here’s why PBKS’ Cooper Connolly won’t bowl against Gujarat Titans in today’s match