Cooper Connolly shines on debut to guide Punjab to tight IPL win over Gujarat

[p]A tidy bowling performance, spearheaded by Vijaykumar Vyshak, had helped [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/punjab-kings/juzL6jnm/"]Punjab[/a] restrict [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/gujarat-titans/WxbsgtO5/"]Gujarat[/a] to 162-6 at the New Chandigarh Stadium after Shreyas Iyer opted to chase.[/p][p]Last year's finalists Punjab appeared headed for a straightforward victory when opener Prabhsimran Singh and Connolly set about the bowling, adding 76 for the second wicket in only 49 deliveries.[/p][p]Gujarat had struck only three sixes in their entire innings while Punjab had four in the first four overs alone as they mounted a blistering assault.[/p][p]But the belated introduction of Prasidh Krishna, Gujarat's impact player, triggered a dramatic twist.[/p][p]Prasidh, brought on by captain Shubman Gill only in the 13th over, took three for three in 10 deliveries to spark a collapse that saw Punjab lose four for eight in 16 balls.[/p][p]However, the 22-year-old Connolly showcased a maturity that belied his age, keeping his composure and eking out small but crucial partnerships with South African Marco Jansen and compatriot Xavier Bartlett.[/p][embed guid="82c898fa-7fc4-491e-9795-35887fa79891" url="https://x.com/IPL/status/2039043758189318636" social-type="twitter" /][p]Fittingly it was Connolly, who finished unbeaten on 72 off 44 deliveries with five fours and as many sixes, who [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/cricket/gujarat-titans-WxbsgtO5/punjab-kings-juzL6jnm/?mid=fqGTviAa"]brought up victory with five balls to spare[/a] as he guided Punjab to 165-7.[/p][p]Earlier, Gujarat had got off to a frenetic start with Gill striking three fours in the second over from Bartlett.[/p][p]Gill and Sai Sudharsan, last season's most prolific opening pair, added 37 before Jansen provided the breakthrough, having Sudharsan caught on the pull for 13.[/p][p]Gujarat went at nine an over in the Powerplay but as the ball got older and softer, the scoring rate dipped.[/p][p]Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, the leading wicket-taker in the tournament's history, led the charge, having Gill caught at deep mid-wicket for 39 with a well tossed-up delivery and following it up with the scalp of Jos Buttler, who battled through to 38.[/p][p]Gill and Buttler had put on 46 to offset the loss of Sudharsan, and Glenn Phillips attempted to infuse some urgency, but Gujarat struggled to impose themselves.[/p][embed guid="7842c4e1-eb72-4224-a340-11affb177ffb" url="https://x.com/PunjabKingsIPL/status/2039048361245044954" social-type="twitter" /][p]Vyshak, using the slower ball to great effect, cut a swathe through the middle order while Jansen was parsimonious, conceding just 20 in his four overs.[/p][p]Despite an 11-ball final over from Arshdeep Singh, Gujarat added only 34 in the last five, and it was simply not enough once Connolly got into the act.[/p]