Shubman Gill said that Gujarat Titans batters failed to score in the final five overs which proved crucial at the end as Punjab Kings beat them in an IPL 2026 clash in Mullanpur, Chandigarh on Tuesday.
GT despite having a formidable batting lineup comprising of Gill, Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan and Glenn Phillips managed to reach 162 for 6, and the skipper later admitted that a score of 210–220 was easily achievable on the track.
In the run-chase, Punjab Kings’ Cooper Connolly made batting look really easy by scoring a fluent 72.
“It looked like a 210-220 wicket. We thought 175 would be a good score, but we kept losing wickets and didn’t score much in the last five overs,” said Gill after the three-wicket defeat in their IPL 2026 opener.
“Once the ball got older, it was difficult to hit it down the ground,” he added.
Gill said that batting became easy for the home side in the second innings because of a steady drizzle.
“In the second innings, rain continued, making the ball wet, which slightly improved batting conditions. So I don’t think it (ball) stopped as much in the second innings. But nonetheless, I think we did a decent job…all ifs and buts.”
“Hard luck and it wasn’t the game for us, but I think we did decently well. It’s just, you know, keep getting better and keep adding more intensity and keep giving your best.”
While, Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer was impressed with Connolly’s match-winning knock.
“Some of the shots he (Connolly) played were surreal to watch, especially the one off Rashid (Khan)… I was focused on my hand inside, icing it, suddenly we lost two wickets back to back, these things happen in the IPL, you have to stay composed.
“Cooper was there, he was composed and calm…,” added Iyer.
