The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 officially ignited. In a thrilling encounter at the Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh Kings of Punjab (PBKS) clinched a thrilling three-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) on tuesday. In just the fourth match of the season, fans were treated to a classic classic that saw momentum swing like a pendulum before the 21-year-old Australian sensation. Cooper Connolly announced his arrival on the world stage with a match-winning master class.
GT gets a huge total against the established PBKS bowling
Winning the scam under the lights of New Chandigarh, Shreyas Iyer‘s Punjab Kings produced a masterclass in defensive bowling during the middle overs. Gujarat Titans’ innings was a tale of promising starts that failed to produce a big result. Shubman Gill He looked in fine touch, coming into the top order with a classy 39 off 27 balls, laced with 4 fours and a six. With him, always dangerous If Buttler He played a measured stroke of 38 off 33 balls.
However, spin duo PBKS turned the tide. Yuzvendra Chahal He was the architect of the squeeze, removing both Gill and Buttler to finish with figures of 2/28. As the Titans try to accelerate, Vijay Kumar Vishak emerged as an unexpected hero in his death. Pulling out Vyshak’s triple kick Glenn Phillips (25), Washington Sundar (18) and Shah Rukh Khan (4) GT derailed the finish. Despite a late cameo Rahul TewatiaGT reached 162/6 in 20 overs. It was a competitive score, but on the new Chandigarh surface, the Kings knew they had a fight on their hands.
Cooper Connolly leads PBKS to a dramatic win over GT in IPL 2026
It started with stuttering as a follow up Priyansh Arya fell early Kagiso Rabadabut it soon erupted like a stadium Cooper Connolly took center stage. Rising up the order, Connolly played an age well beyond his years. As the doors swung around him, including causing a moderate collapse Prasidh Krishna (3/29) who saw Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh tended to the ducks, but Connolly remained the calm eye of the storm.
PBKS found themselves in a precarious position at 118/6 needing 45 runs with the tail still open. Connolly, however, shifted gears without difficulty. He reached his half-century off just 34 balls, punishing something short and using his legs beautifully against spin. Rashid Khan. His unbeaten 72 off 44 balls, which included 9 fours and 5 massive sixes, kept the demand rate in check.
The drama culminated in the finale. with Marco Jansen The pressure was on Connolly and down to 9 Xavier Bartlett. Needing 13 off the last two overs, Connolly kept his cool. He dismantled the GT attack with surgical precision, guiding PBKS to 165/7 in five balls. The victory was sealed in the 20th, sending the home crowd into a frenzy and marking PBKS’ first statement win of the 2026 campaign.
Also WATCH: Xavier Bartlett rips a screamer to remove steady Jos Buttler in PBKS vs GT
Here’s how the fans reacted:
The 22-year-old Australian scored a fantastic strike to bring his team home 👏🔥#cricket #PBKSvsGT #ipl2026 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/1BZNeS7UbC
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) March 31, 2026
34 BALL FIFTY BY COOPER CONNOLLY.
Great shot by the debutant! pic.twitter.com/1AWDgfeL3x
— PHENOMENAL_1 (@RajSadde2) March 31, 2026
#PBKSvGT Only one of Cooper Connolly ✅
Cooper Connolly became Angad of Punjab Kings.#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | | @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/ISaa65o6gd— Shubham Rajput (@rajputshubham59) March 31, 2026
🚨AUSTRALIA PLAYERS TO SCORE FIFTY GOALS 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) March 31, 2026
Well played Cooper Connolly 👏#PBKS #CSK https://t.co/Pq5Ipx7QHh pic.twitter.com/CJaQkx3CwE
— PLV Arun (@Arunstunner) March 31, 2026
The game went away but Cooper Connolly pulled it back, an incredible batting performance from the 22-year-old talent.
Punjab Kings got off to a great start with a win over Gujarat Titans in their first match ❤️🔥pic.twitter.com/ytpuUtZcMe
— Eshwar (@ej_memezz__) March 31, 2026
Usually BIG-Bash performers don’t do well in IPL…. But I think we got our superstar for this season in COOPER Connolly…. pic.twitter.com/NU9Tho0uA6
— Jagseer Singh Sandhu (@sandhujagseer07) March 31, 2026
Cooper Connolly gives KXIP Shaun Marsh vibes. He is lucky if he maintains this consistency.
— Vayu (@GEAR_UPv18) March 31, 2026
Cooper Connolly knocked it out of the park once again.
PBKS won the choice ☠️
This is still true 🤷
pic.twitter.com/sBbYk5WrfX https://t.co/EooIb2HqGp
— Kashif (@KashifNdmCric) March 31, 2026
FIFTY FOR COOPER CONNOLLY ON IPL DEBUT FROM JUST 34 BALLS!!🔥 pic.twitter.com/ofaQi3hWET
– Fatima (@Fatima7223) March 31, 2026
Steve Smith’s fanboy Cooper brings back the old IPL vibes 😭🔥🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/EvOnzrt47C
— Akbar Tennyson (@akbertweets) March 31, 2026
Also READ: This is the reason why Cooper Connolly of PBKS will not play in today’s match against Gujarat Titans
