IPL 2026, PBKS vs GT: Punjab Kings on Tuesday registered a thumping victory over Shubhman Gill-led Gujarat Titans in its IPL opener at the New International Cricket Stadium in Chandigarh. Punjab's newly bought young southpaw, Cooper Connolly, marked his IPL debut with a decisive 44-ball 72 and took his team to a 3-wicket win against Gujarat.

However, Punjab's win came with a penalty for skipper Shreyas Iyer, who became the first captain in this year's IPL to be penalised. Iyer has been fined Rs 12 lakh for a slow-over rate during the match. The fine falls under Article 2.22 of the IPL's Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences.

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"Punjab Kings Captain Shreyas Iyer has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match No. 4 of the TATA Indian Premier League 2026 against Gujarat Titans at the New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh. As this was his team's first offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL's Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, Iyer was fined Rs 12 lakhs," the statement by IPL read.

This is the first slow-over rate offence recorded in this season. The first innings in the GT vs PBKS stretched to nearly two hours, surpassing the mandated one hour and 30 minutes. PBKS also conceded 14 extras, including 11 wides.

PBKS had to also contend with having an extra fielder in the inner circle for the final over. Earlier, all three matches played so far in the IPL 2026 ended on time with no captain facing penalties for slow-over rate.

IPL 2026: PBKS vs GT Result

Punjab started their IPL 2026 campaign with a bang, registering a 3-wicket win over Gujarat after the Shubhman Gill-led team set a modest target of 162 runs. Punjab's Cooper Connolly smashed GT bowlers, hitting a blistering 72 in 44 balls. While Punjab initially faced a batting collapse from 110/2 to 118/6, Connolly made sure PBKS secured their first points with five balls left.

On Connolly's knock, Shreyas said, "Cooper has got a great mindset, and I hope he continues his form. I have seen him play for Australia. Some of the shots he played were surreal to watch, especially the one off Rashid."

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Punjab Kings will next face five-time champions Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on April 3. The Super Kings, who will play their first IPL 2026 home game, lost their opening match against Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets on March 30 in Guwahati.


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