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How Cooper Connolly's mature debut innings saved Punjab Kings from choking away an easy chase vs Gujarat Titans
A win for last year's finalists to get their campaign started, as Cooper Connolly's 72* established himself as a new hero in IPL 2026's first close finish.
The 2026 Indian Premier League season had its first match that was anybody’s game late into the second innings, as Punjab Kings managed to hold their nerve chasing 163 on a tricky surface at the PCA Stadium in Mullanpur, against Gujarat Titans. For Shreyas Iyer’s team, it was IPL debutant Cooper Connolly who was the man to thank, as the Australian played with a maturity and cool which belied his 22 years.
After the first three matches proved to be one-sided contests with the writing on the wall early in the piece, the same seemed to be the case as PBKS found themselves coasting with 53 runs needed off 48 deliveries with 8 wickets in hand. A set Connolly was partnered up with captain Shreyas Iyer, and they seemed ready to guide PBKS home, but the late introduction of 2025 Purple Cap winner Prasidh Krishna shook things up big-time.
In the following three overs, PBKS went from 110/2 to 121/6, suffering a middle-order collapse as Krishna sparked three wickets in his first two overs. Suddenly, Punjab were wobbling, still in control but threatening an almighty implosion.
Connolly keeps his calm
Connolly steadily and surely began to right the ship. A 12-run 16th over off Kagiso Rabada saw Connolly notch up his half-century, and regaining momentum for the home team with a last-ball pull shot off a fast bouncer that flew for six. From that point, Punjab ensured there were minimal hiccups: Marco Jansen lost his wicket, but a big six for Xavier Bartlett in at number nine ensured nerves remained calm.
Ultimately, a nerveless Connolly finished things off with a four, scoring 72*(44) in his first IPL match. This stands as the fifth-highest score by a player on their IPL debut, a list including names such as Brendon McCullum and Michael Hussey. For context of this stat, no Indian player has scored as many runs on debut. Connolly’s knock included five fours and fives sixes, and was provided able support by Prabhsimran Singh, who continued to show his pocket-rocket capabilities at the top of the order.
GT ultimately fell short despite the fightback instituted by Prasidh Krishna. Although his first two overs saw him take 3/8, his next two went for 0/21 – not bad figures, but an indication that Connolly handled his threat well. Kagiso Rabada was also expensive, going for 0/31 in his three overs, while Mohammed Siraj surprisingly only bowled two economical overs at the top, never being brought back into the attack.
GT still looking for middle order balance
In truth, GT were always chasing PBKS’s coat-tails through the game – a decent start came unstuck in the middle overs of the first innings, as Yuzvendra Chahal refound form to take two key wickets. Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler contributed 39 and 37 respectively, but that was about that for the innings: after their dismissals, GT began to lose their way against the older ball. Change-ups and cutters were effective through the back portion of the innings, restricting the middle-order hitters from teeing off. Vijaykumar Vyshak continued his 2025 trend of effectively older-ball bowling, mixing in plenty of variations to force errors and pick up wickets. He finished with 3 wickets.
At the end of the day, it’s a winning start for Punjab Kings, as they continue their momentum from the previous season. As for GT, Shubman Gill wasn’t too concerned in the post-match interview, saying the team will work on what they need to work on, but remaining confident in its quality. The tight finish, going down to the last over, means the teams currently find themselves in fourth and fifth, still playing just a little bit of catch-up.
