NEW DELHI: The tension in the Punjab Kings dugout was clearly evident when captain Shreyas Iyer was seen in pain, clutching his wrist during their IPL 2026 clash against Gujarat Titans. A fierce drive from Connolly struck Iyer on the wrist at the non-striker’s end, forcing him to seek medical attention.Iyer looked in considerable discomfort as the physio attended to him on the field, applying ice to the injured area.However, there was relief all around when Iyer appeared for the post-match presentation, smiling.“All I can say, it’s nice. It’s the same as it was before. I don’t want to jinx anything. I just want to stay positive and hopefully everything comes out right,” he said during the post-match presentation when asked about the injury.Debutant Cooper Connolly scored his maiden half-century as Punjab Kings chased down a target of 163 in 19.1 overs to register a three-wicket win at the PCA’s New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Tuesday.
“Honestly speaking, I was focused on my hand inside, icing it and then suddenly we lost two wickets back-to-back. These things happen in the IPL and you have to remain calm and composed in such situations. So the message was pretty simple. Just take the game to the end and Cooper was there. He was pretty much set. And he’s got a great awareness as a player. I’ve seen him in the past as well, playing for Australia. He’s got a great mindset and hopefully he continues with the same form,’ Shreyas said while lauding Cooper’s knock.“Some of the shots that he played, it was surreal to watch. It was unbelievable. The back foot six off Rashid, one of the best bowlers in the IPL, to hit him so clearly and neatly, it was simply phenomenal,” he added on Connolly’s performance.After Punjab Kings opted to field first, Vijaykumar Vyshak (3/34), Yuzvendra Chahal (2/28) and Marco Jansen (1/20) combined effectively to restrict Gujarat Titans to 162/6.Punjab Kings chased down the target in 19.1 overs to kick off their IPL 2026 campaign on a winning note.
