Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer had a worrying moment during his team’s IPL 2026 opener against Gujarat Titans on March 31. The match was played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. Punjab Kings won the game, but Iyer’s wrist injury became a big talking point.
While chasing 163 runs, Iyer came out to bat in a tense situation. At the non-striker’s end, he was hit on his wrist. The physio checked him on the field. Despite the pain, Iyer continued to bat. After the match, he spoke about the injury but did not reveal full details.
“I would say it [the wrist] is nice. It is the same as it was before. Don’t want to jinx it; hopefully everything will come out all right,” Shreyas said, as quoted by India Today.
Iyer scored 18 runs from 11 balls before getting out to Prasidh Krishna. However, it was Cooper Connolly who changed the game. The young Australian played a brilliant knock of 72 not out from 44 balls. His innings helped Punjab Kings win by three wickets with five balls left.
Cooper Connolly’s Heroics Seal the Win for PBKS in IPL 2026
Iyer praised Connolly for his fearless batting under pressure. He highlighted one special shot against Rashid Khan.
“I was focused on my hand inside, icing it. Then suddenly, we lost two wickets back-to-back. These things happen in IPL. You have to be calm and composed. Cooper was there, he was well set. Some of the shots he played were surreal to watch. The backfoot six off Rashid Khan to hit them so cleanly was phenomenal,” the PBKS skipper added.
Punjab Kings will next face Chennai Super Kings on April 3 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Fans will hope Iyer’s injury is not serious ahead of this important match.
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