IPL 2026, GT vs PBKS: Gujarat beat Punjab in last-over thriller to build momentum in Playoffs race

IPL 2026, GT vs PBKS: Gujarat beat Punjab in last-over thriller to build momentum in Playoffs race

IPL 2026, GT vs PBKS: Gujarat beat Punjab in last-over thriller to build momentum in Playoffs race Photograph: (IPL)

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Playing at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, GT beat PBKS by four wickets and a ball spare to go level with second-place Royal Challengers Benglauru (RCB). GT, despite the win, are fifth, same as SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) and have 12 points in 10 matches.

Gujarat Titans (GT) have built momentum in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) Playoffs race as they defeated league toppers Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a last-over thriller on Sunday (May 3). Playing at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, GT beat PBKS by four wickets and a ball spare to go level with second-place Royal Challengers Benglauru (RCB). GT, despite the win, are fifth, same as SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) and have 12 points in 10 matches.

GT beat PBKS at home

Pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj set the tone with two wickets in the first over of the match as hosts Gujarat reduced top-of-the-table Punjab to 47/5 before they managed 163/9 in Ahmedabad. Gujarat also suffered from regular wickets in their chase, but opener Sai Sudharsan's 57 and an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls by Washington Sundar guided the team home with one ball to spare.

Needing 11 to win from the last over, Sundar, a left-handed batter, kept his nerve and smacked Marcus Stoinis for a winning six on the penultimate delivery. Shubman Gill-led Gujarat stay fifth in the 10-team table with four teams on 12 points each. Punjab, led by Shreyas Iyer, still hold the top spot with 13 points after going down to just their second defeat of the season. The top four teams after the league stage will qualify for the playoffs.

Punjab attempted to defend their modest total after impact substitute Vijaykumar Vyshak took 30/2, including Jos Buttler, for 25, and the left-handed Sudharsan in the 15th over. Gujarat slowed down in their chase in front of disciplined bowling and good fielding, but Sundar stood firm.

What happened in PBKS innings?

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Earlier, Siraj rattled Punjab with two wickets in two balls upfront, including Cooper Connolly caught behind for a duck. Siraj's new-ball partner Kagiso Rabada took down Prabhsimran Singh for 15 and West Indies pace bowler Holder came in as the third seamer to push Punjab on the backfoot. Holder dismissed Nehal Wadhera and then Iyer, but Marcus Stoinis, who made 40, and Suryansh Hedge, who hit 57, put on a defiant stand of 79 off 44 balls.

Shedge was impressive in his 29-ball blitz, laced with three fours and five sixes and got good support from Australia's Stoinis. Marco Jansen contributed 20 to boost the total, but it was not enough to stop Gujarat from winning on their home turf.

About the Author

Parth Seth is a research fellow at India Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, where he studies the themes of development, foreign policy, and multilateralism, particularly in ...Read More