Gujarat Titans beat Punjab Kings by four wickets in Match 46 of IPL 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, after a low-scoring contest went into the final over.
GT won the toss and chose to bowl first. Punjab Kings were pushed back early as their top order collapsed in the powerplay. Shreyas Iyer’s side lost four wickets inside the first six overs and later slipped to 47/5, before Suryansh Shedge’s 57 helped them recover to 163/9.
Jason Holder was the main damage-maker for Gujarat, taking four wickets as PBKS were prevented from stretching the total further. GT then chased 164, but the finish was not straightforward. Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar played key hands before Gujarat got over the line with four wickets left.
Shreyas Iyer backs Punjab Kings’ 163 after early collapse
After the match, Shreyas Iyer said Punjab’s total was a strong one considering the surface and the early damage done by Gujarat’s bowlers.
“Yes, absolutely. I personally feel that it was a great score, especially on a wicket where the ball was doing a bit at the start, with the new ball,” Iyer said.
He said Gujarat’s bowlers used the conditions well and kept Punjab’s batters from freeing their arms in the early overs. “I personally feel that their bowlers made the best use of the surface, the way they were hitting the lengths and the deck. It was right in the stumps and not giving us much options to open our arms and score runs at the start,” he said.
Punjab had to rebuild after losing early wickets, and Iyer said the recovery to 160-plus was a major effort from that position. “We lost four wickets, I assume, in the powerplay. Just to get to 160 from there, it was a phenomenal effort,” he said.
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Iyer admits PBKS missed early wickets with new ball
Punjab had a chance to defend the total on a surface that was not easy for stroke-making, but GT’s chase stayed alive through the middle overs and reached the final over. Iyer said PBKS expected more accuracy from their new-ball spell.
“With the new ball, I thought that we would be able to hit our line and lengths pretty accurate and get early wickets so that we could put some pressure on them,” he said. “But that didn’t work out. But the way we fought in the end, I think kudos to the efforts and the attitude and approach was excellent,” he added.
Asked about whether Punjab’s bowlers were slightly short with their lengths, especially with several boundaries scored square of the wicket, Iyer said execution was not perfect but also pointed to the nature of the pitch.
“We were short on hitting the hard lengths. I feel if you see hitting over mid-wicket or pull shot wasn’t easy on this wicket because there was variable bounce and just to hit on the rise wasn’t an apt wicket to bat on,” Iyer said.
“In terms of execution, we fell a bit short. But that’s not the reason. We are still on the top of the table. That’s what matters, and we’ll be taking a lot of positives from this game,” he added.
Iyer also said surfaces like this can help bowlers regain confidence in a tournament where several venues have heavily favoured batting. “It’s a great challenge, especially going forward in the IPL because it also tends to bring up the attitude of the bowlers as well. It can level up their confidence,” he said.
Punjab next travel to Hyderabad, and Iyer said the team would look to stay with its routines.
“Excited for the opportunity. We want to get that two points. We’ve been working pretty hard in our training. The boys have been putting in hard yards. That’s what matters,” he said.
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