Arshdeep Singh in action (Source: AP Photos)
On the back of a memorable season, the Punjab Kings kick-started their IPL 2026 campaign against the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday night in Mullanpur.
As they won the toss and decided to bowl first, their marquee star, Arshdeep Singh, immediately grabbed attention with a rather timid performance on the night. While opening the bowling on the evening, the two-time T20 World Cup winner went for plenty despite the opponents failing to pile up a big score.
During his four-over spell, he also added his name to an unwanted list of bowlers, delivering the most balls in a single IPL over.
Arshdeep Singh bowls the longest IPL over
In GT's 162/6 effort in 20 overs, Arshdeep conceded the most runs among the PBKS bowlers, ending with a lengthy and record-breaking over to finish off the innings. In the four overs bowled, the left-arm quick failed to pick any wickets and conceded 42 runs to guide the opposition to a decent total.
In his fourth over, which was also the final over of the Gujarat Titans' innings, Arshdeep Singh bowled as many as 11 balls to match the IPL record for the longest over. Previously, five other bowlers — all Indians — have recorded 11-ball overs in IPL cricket.
Most balls bowled in an IPL over:
1. Tushar Deshpande (CSK) - 11 balls vs LSG, Chennai, 2023
2. Mohammed Siraj (RCB) - 11 balls vs MI, Bengaluru, 2023
3. Hardik Pandya (MI) - 11 balls vs GT, Mumbai (Wankhede), 2025
4. Sandeep Sharma (RR) - 11 balls vs DC, Delhi, 2025
5. Shardul Thakur (LSG) - 11 balls vs KKR, Kolkata, 2025
6. Arshdeep Singh (PBKS) - 11 balls vs GT, Mullanpur, 2026, Tonight*
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Arshdeep Singh's costly start to IPL 2026 keeps GT alive
The Gujarat Titans are heavily dependent on their top-3 to do the heavy lifting, and they got the exact start they needed from the reliable top-order. After 37/1 in 3.4 overs and 83/2 in 9.3 overs, the Titans were set for a 200-210 run first innings total.
However, the middle order and finishers, especially Washington Sundar, got stuck at the crease with his 18 (16), followed by 4 (6) from Shahrukh Khan, and GT lost the momentum. Courtesy of the long spell from Arshdeep Singh, where they got 12 runs from the final over, including four wides and a no-ball, GT managed 162 runs.
While the score remains low for modern-day T20 cricket, GT went into the second innings with some belief of doing something special. Ahead of the second innings, PBKS have only won 3 of their 10 matches at the venue, which would instil some confidence in the GT camp.
Onus on Arshdeep Singh in PBKS' title pursuit
Following PBKS' run to the IPL 2025 final, they look like a very well-settled unit to replicate the performances in IPL 2026. Despite a substandard opening game, the lanky left-arm quick remains central to their chances of winning the first IPL in their history.
Since joining the team in 2019, he has picked 97 wickets in 82 innings, with the best figures of 5/32. No other PBKS bowler comes close to him in the wickets tally, with the second-best, Mohammed Shami, at 58. His consistency was rewarded by the team in last year's auction, where they bought him back for a price of INR 18 crore as their costliest buy.
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