Gujarat Titans had trapped the match, then how Punjab Kings turned the tables, the biggest turning point of the match

New Delhi. After Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings have also made a winning start to IPL 2026. Punjab team captained by Shreyas Iyer defeated Gujarat Titans by three wickets at their home ground Mullanpur. Batting first, Gujarat gave the hosts a target of 163 runs after playing the entire over, which Punjab team chased by scoring 165 runs with 5 balls remaining. Even though Punjab won the match, there came a time during the run chase when it seemed that Gujarat was going to win by turning the tables, but Cooper Connolly, playing the debut match, batted with great patience and helped Punjab cross the threshold of victory.

Gujarat faked the match like this
Punjab Kings had scored 110 runs at the loss of two wickets in 12 overs, but in the next three overs, Punjab got itself into trouble by losing four wickets. On this score, the wicket of captain Shreyas Iyer fell, who was out after scoring 18 runs. Prasidh Krishna took this wicket on the first ball of the 13th over. In the very next over, Washington Sundar dismissed Nehal Vadhera. The heartbeats of Punjab fans increased further when Prasidh, who came in the 15th over, suddenly changed the course of the match by taking two big wickets. Prasidh dismissed finishers Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis in this over. Punjab's score increased from 110/2 to 118/6 in just 8 runs. It seemed that Gujarat would win the match from here.

The biggest turning point of the match
When the experienced players were returning to the pavilion one by one, 22-year-old Cooper Connolly, who was making his debut in the IPL, held one end and this proved to be the biggest turning point of the match. Connolly did not let the pressure overwhelm him. He played an anchor inning of 72 runs not out in 44 balls. Wickets were falling on one side, but Connolly stood at one end and batted fast in the beginning. Gujarat Titans, led by Prasidh Krishna (three wickets for 29 runs), put pressure on Punjab Kings by taking wickets at regular intervals, but Connolly's explosive innings full of restraint dashed their hopes. He maintained his composure and did not show any haste by playing some good shots and scored runs and took the match till the end. Connolly ensured Punjab's victory by hitting a four on the first ball of the last over. Connolly's innings included 5 fours and as many sixes.