IPL 2026: GT claim 3rd successive win, down table-toppers PBKS
What's the story
Gujarat Titans (GT) put on a disciplined display to down Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 46 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season on Sunday. PBKS fought from being 47/5 to score 163/9 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Jason Holder was the star of the show with his four-wicket haul. For PBKS, Suryansh Shedge's counter-attacking effort stole the show. In response, PBKS did well to stretch GT. However, the hosts managed to pull off a win.
Early breakthroughs
Siraj, Rabada dent Punjab early
Opting to bowl first, Gujarat made an aggressive start with Mohammed Siraj striking twice in the first over. He sent Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly back to the pavilion, leaving Punjab at a precarious 6/2. Kagiso Rabada joined the attack from the other end and dismissed Prabhsimran Singh, further tightening his grip on Punjab's innings. The pitch offered enough movement and uneven bounce to trouble batters throughout.
Mid-innings shift
Shedge, Stoinis counter-attack with explosive stand
Holder made an immediate impact, dismissing Nehal Wadhera and Shreyas Iyer for 19. This left Punjab at a precarious 47/5 in under nine overs. However, Suryansh Shedge and Marcus Stoinis fought back with a crucial 79-run partnership that revived Punjab's hopes. Shedge brought up his stunning half-century off just 24 balls, taking the attack to the bowlers. His assault on Manav Suthar yielded 27 runs in one over, briefly shifting momentum in Punjab's favor.
Endgame strategy
Holder's brilliance restricts Punjab further
Rabada returned to break the stand, dismissing Shedge for a well-compiled 57 off 29 balls. Holder then delivered the decisive blow, removing Stoinis for 40 and striking again in the same over to finish with impressive figures of 4/24. Despite a quick cameo from Marco Jansen (20 off 11), Punjab's lower order failed to capitalize as wickets fell regularly in the final overs. Rashid Khan chipped in with a wicket while Arshad Khan maintained control ensuring Punjab couldn't fully recover.
Duel
Kagiso Rabada dismisses Prabhsimran Singh for 3rd time (IPL)
Rabada dismissed Prabhsimran to leave PBKS reeling at 35/3. In the 2nd ball of the 6th over, Prabhsimran wanted to go over cover and was caught. As per ESPNcricinfo, across 4 innings, South African pacer Rabada has now dismissed Prabhsimran three times in the IPL. The batter has scored 31 runs from 22 balls in this duel and averages 10.33. His strike rate is 140.9. Prabhsimran has faced 11 dot balls besides hitting three fours and two sixes.
Holder
Holder gets to 60 IPL scalps from 50 matches
Holder claimed 4/24 from his 4 overs. Notably, this was his 50th IPL appearance. He raced to 60 IPL wickets at an average of 26.18. This was his 2nd four-fer in the IPL. As per ESPNcricinfo, Holder became the 2nd GT bowler with a four-wicket haul against PBKS. Spinner Sai Kishore was the first to do so (4/33 in IPL 2024).
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13th four-fer for Holder in T20s
Playing his 346th T20 (339 innings), Holder got to a tally of 372 wickets at 26.6. This was his 13th four-fer in the 20-over format. He also has one five-wicket haul.
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Key IPL numbers for Siraj and Rabada
Siraj claimed 2/28 from his 4 overs. He now owns 11 wickets this season from 10 games. Overall, he has picked 120 wickets from 118 IPL matches at 30.37. Rabada claimed 1/22 from 4 overs. He also bowled a maiden. He owns 16 wickets this season and 135 overall from 94 IPL games at 22.9.
Shedge
Maiden IPL fifty for Shedge
Shedge's knock of 57 off 29 balls was laced with five sixes and three fours. He struck at 196.55. Playing just his 2nd IPL match for PBKS this season, Shedge deflated GT. He scored 3* in the previous game. Overall, this was his 5th IPL match. He owns 67 runs at 16.75 (50s: 1). Not just the IPL, Shedge also recorded his maiden T20 fifty. From 25 matches (18 innings), he owns 258 runs at 23.45. His strike rate is 184.28.
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Stoinis scores a valuable 40
Stoinis made his presence felt with a valuable 40 off 31 balls. He hit a six and 5 fours. In 118 IPL games, he owns 2,176 runs at 29.01. Overall in T20s, he has 7,437 runs from 373 games (330 innings) at 29.98.
Chase
How did GT's chase pan out?
GT lost skipper Shubman Gill early to be reduced to 16/1. A 53-run stand between Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler helped GT steady the show. Sudharsan then added 25 runs with debutant Nishant Sindhu and 30 alongside Washington Sundar. However, he was dismissed after a well made 41-ball 57. Rahul Tewatia perished cheaply next as GT were 140/5. PBKS kept themselves in the hunt and took the game close. However, GT won with one ball remaining. Sundar hit an unbeaten 40.
Sudharsan
Sudharsan shines in his 50th IPL outing
Sudharsan's 57 came off 41 balls. He hit 5 fours and a six. The southpaw now owns 385 runs from 10 IPL games this season. He slammed his 4th fifty-plus score (50s: 3, 100s: 1). This was Sudharsan's 50th IPL game. He owns 2,178 runs at 47.34. His strike rate is 147.96. This was his 15th fifty in the IPL (100s: 3).
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18th fifty in T20s for Sudharsan
Sudharsan also clocked his 18th fifty in T20s (100s: 4). As per ESPNcricinfo, from 76 matches, the southpaw owns 2,848 runs at an average of 42.5. His strike rate is 141.41.
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Sundar seals the deal for GT
Sundar hit a match-winning six to finish on 40* off 23 balls. He hit one six and 5 fours. In 10 games this season, he owns 209 runs at 34.83. From 76 IPL games (55 innings), he has amassed 720 runs at 18.46.
PBKS bowlers
Summary of the PBKS bowlers
Xavier Bartlett bowled 4 overs and finished with 0/38. Arshdeep Singh was superb and clocked 2/24 from his 4 overs. The left-arm pacer has amassed 107 IPL scalps from 91 games at 27.31. Overall in T20s, he has 266 wickets at 23.24. Marco Jansen finished with 1/33 from 4 overs. Vijaykumar Vyshak did well and clocked 2/31 from 4 overs. Stoinis finished with 1/26 from 2.5 overs. Yuzvendra Chahal bowled one over and conceded 13 runs.
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A look at the points table
From 9 games, PBKS now has 2 defeats and six wins (NR: 1). Their NRR reads +0.855. GT have played 10 games this season and have picked six wins and 4 defeats. They own 12 points but remain 5th.