Gujarat Titans edged past Punjab Kings in a tense last-over thriller to strengthen their playoff hopes in IPL 2026. The four-wicket win in Ahmedabad marked Gujarat’s third consecutive victory and highlighted the growing momentum they are building at a crucial stage of the season. While Punjab Kings remain at the top of the table, the race for playoff spots has become increasingly tight, with several teams now level on points behind them.
Batting first on a surface that offered help to bowlers, Punjab Kings struggled badly during the powerplay. Mohammed Siraj struck twice in the opening over, while Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder kept the pressure firmly on. Punjab slipped to 47/5 and looked in danger of collapsing for a below-par total.
However, debutant Suryansh Shedge produced a fearless innings under pressure to revive the visitors. The youngster smashed 57 runs from just 29 deliveries and formed a crucial 79-run partnership with Marcus Stoinis, who added 40. Shedge attacked whenever the opportunity came, particularly against the spinners, helping PBKS recover to 163/9 — a score that eventually proved competitive on the difficult pitch.
Gujarat Titans did not enjoy the smoothest start to their chase either, losing Shubman Gill early. But Sai Sudharsan once again anchored the innings superbly, scoring a composed 57 off 41 balls. Jos Buttler contributed with a brisk cameo, but Punjab kept fighting back through timely wickets to ensure the contest remained alive till the final over.
With Gujarat needing 11 runs off the final six balls, Washington Sundar stepped up calmly under pressure. The all-rounder remained unbeaten on 40 and, along with Arshad Khan, guided Gujarat home with a ball to spare. Washington fittingly sealed the victory with a six, sparking celebrations among the home crowd.
The victory further underlined Gujarat Titans’ reputation as one of the best chasing teams in the IPL. Punjab Kings, despite the loss, showed resilience after a poor start and will still take positives from the fight shown by their middle order and bowlers in a closely fought encounter.
Squads:
Punjab Kings Squad: Prabhsimran Singh (w), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Nehal Wadhera, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Xavier Bartlett, Harpreet Brar, Musheer Khan, Yash Thakur, Ben Dwarshuis, Praveen Dubey, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Pyla Avinash, Vishal Nishad, Shashank Singh
Gujarat Titans Squad: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (w), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Manav Suthar, Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Nishant Sindhu, Kulwant Khejroliya, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Luke Wood, Prasidh Krishna, Kumar Kushagra, Gurnoor Brar, Ashok Sharma, Connor Esterhuizen, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore