Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Mithun Manhas has congratulated Punjab Kings for starting their IPL 2026 campaign with a strong win against Gujarat Titans at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Punjab Kings’ thrilling victory
Punjab Kings secured a thrilling three-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans, chasing down 163 with five balls to spare.
The win was powered by a superb all-round team effort. Debutant Cameron Connolly played a match-winning unbeaten half-century, while Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yuzvendra Chahal led a disciplined bowling performance.
After opting to bowl first, Punjab Kings kept Gujarat Titans in check by taking wickets at regular intervals. Vijaykumar Vyshak returned impressive figures of 3/34, and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 2/28. Their efforts restricted GT to 162/6 in 20 overs.
In reply, Punjab Kings got off to a solid start, reaching 55/1 in the powerplay. Prabhsimran Singh and Cameron Connolly built a strong second-wicket partnership. Although PBKS lost four wickets in quick succession later, Connolly stayed calm and guided the team home with timely support from Xavier Bartlett and Marco Jansen.
In a post on X, Mithun Manhas shared glimpses of the match, where he was also present and took part in the post-match presentation. He praised Punjab Kings for their first win at home and expressed confidence that Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans would bounce back strongly.
“Many congratulations to @PunjabKingsIPL for their first win at their home ground. @gujarat_titans are a formidable unit, and I am sure they will bounce back strongly,” he wrote on X.
Upcoming matches
Punjab Kings will next face five-time champions Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday. Gujarat Titans will play Rajasthan Royals at their home ground, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on April 4.
Punjab Kings have made a strong start to their IPL 2026 season with a thrilling win at home. BCCI President Mithun Manhas praised their performance and showed faith in Gujarat Titans to bounce back.
Punjab Kings squad for IPL 2026
PBKS squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Ben Dwarshuis, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Lockie Ferguson, Vishnu Vinod, Praveen Dubey, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash, Vishal Nishad
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