Shreyas Iyer [Source: AFP]In a big setback for the Punjab Kings, captain Shreyas Iyer has been punished by the BCCI after the team’s first Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) match against Gujarat Titans at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Tuesday, March 31.Punjab Kings began their campaign on a positive note. After choosing to bowl first, the team showed a disciplined bowling effort. Punjab Kings showcase strong bowling attackVijaykumar Vyshak led the bowling attack with three wickets for 34 runs. In addition, Yuzvendra Chahal picked up two wickets for 28 runs. Marco Jansen also contributed with tight bowling and took one wicket. Therefore, the bowlers worked together and kept the opposition total under control.For Gujarat Titans, captain Shubman Gill scored 39 runs, while Jos Buttler made 38 runs. Moreover, Glenn Phillips scored 25 runs and Washington Sundar added 18 runs.Notably, Shubman Gill looked in good touch and played attacking shots. As a result, the team reached 35 runs in the first three overs. To slow down the scoring, Shreyas Iyer introduced Marco Jansen into the attack, and the decision worked immediately. Jansen dismissed Sai Sudharsan.After that, Jos Buttler continued playing aggressive shots, including a boundary and a six. Gujarat Titans reached 54 for one wicket at the end of the powerplay. Even so, Punjab Kings bowlers controlled the middle overs well. Consequently, Gujarat Titans ended with a manageable total.However, there was an impact of the slow over-rate during the match. Punjab Kings had to keep an extra fielder inside the circle for the final over of the innings. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh bowled the final over and conceded 12 runs, including four wides. As a result, Gujarat Titans finished their innings at 162 for six in 20 overs.Punjab Kings chase the targetIn reply, Punjab Kings chased the target in a close contest. The team lost wickets at regular intervals, and the pressure remained throughout the innings. Meanwhile, Cooper Connolly played an important role with the bat.Notably, the young Australian star scored an unbeaten 72 runs off 44 balls and guided the team towards victory. As a result, Punjab Kings reached the target in 19.1 overs and won the match by three wickets. Connolly’s calm and steady innings made the difference in the end.Also Read: IPL 2026: LSG vs DC Prediction, Match 5- Who Will Win Today?On the other hand, Prasidh Krishna took three wickets for Gujarat Titans. In addition, Rashid Khan and Washington Sundar picked up one wicket each.Shreyas Iyer fined by BCCIHowever, there was also some bad news for the team. Shreyas Iyer has been fined Rs 12 lakhs because his team maintained a slow over-rate during the match. "As this was his team’s first offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences," statement released by the IPL read.This is not the first time Shreyas Iyer has faced such punishment. Previously, he was penalized twice for the same issue. He was fined Rs 12 lakhs for the first offence, and later he was fined Rs 24 lakhs after repeating the mistake during the tournament.Also Read: Cooper Connolly Excluded From Contract Day After Punjab Kings IPL Heroics
