IPL 2026: Prasidh Krishna's three-fer vs PBKS goes in vain
What's the story
Albeit in a losing cause, Prasidh Krishna bowled a stunning spell in Gujarat Titans's 2026 Indian Premier League opener against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. Chasing 163 in the game, the Kings were cruising at 83/2 before Krishna made three strikes in a span of 10 balls. His efforts, however, went in vain as PBKS crossed the line in the final over. Here are further details.
Match highlights
PBKS were going well at one stage
PBKS started their chase on a shaky note with Kagiso Rabada dismissing Priyansh Arya early. However, debutant Cooper Connolly (72*) and Prabhsimran Singh (37) steadied the ship with a 76-run partnership for the second wicket. Rashid Khan gave GT a glimmer of hope by dismissing Prabhsimran. Krishna, who was introduced as the Impact Player, then took over the baton.
Bowling brilliance
A stunning spell from the pacer
Krishna opened his account by trapping PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer for 18. In his next over, the pacer trapped dashers Shashank Singh (4) and Marcus Stoinis (0) as PBKS went from 83/1 to 118/6. Though Connolly held one end and scored a fifty, he kept running out of partners. The Australian, however, returned unbeaten on 72 as PBKS (165/7) prevailed with five balls to spare.
Stats
Krishna won the Purple Cap last year
Krishna finished his spell with 3/29 from four overs. No other GT bowler claimed multiple wickets in the game. This took his IPL tally to 77 wickets from 67 games at 28.83 (ER: 8.74). The tally includes two four-fers. Notably, the 30-year-old finished IPL 2025 as the highest wicket-taker. The pacer recorded 25 wickets at a solid average of 19.52 in IPL 2025. His economy rate was an impressive 8.27.