Sipu Jha
NEW DELHI: Cooper Connolly starred with a fine unbeaten half-century as Punjab Kings defeated Gujarat Titans by three wickets in their opening Indian Premier League match on Tuesday, but it was a post-match celebration that grabbed just as much attention.A video of Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer’s sister Shresta Iyer performing bhangra went viral on social media, adding to the buzz around PBKS’ thrilling win.Soon after the win, Shresta shared her celebration on Instagram, writing: “Strong start, stronger intent. Ab bas jeet pe focus”. A disciplined bowling effort had earlier helped PBKS restrict GT to 162 for six after opting to bowl, with Vijaykumar Vyshak (3/34), Yuzvendra Chahal (2/28) and Marco Jansen (1/20) sharing the wickets. For GT, skipper Shubman Gill (39), Jos Buttler (38), Glenn Phillips (25) and Washington Sundar (18) made key contributions.In reply, PBKS chased down the target in 19.1 overs, with Connolly (72 not out off 44 balls) leading the charge. Prasidh Krishna (3/29), Rashid Khan (1/29) and Washington Sundar (1/27) picked up wickets for GT.
The victory, however, also came with an injury scare for Iyer after a fierce drive from Connolly struck his wrist at the non-striker’s end, forcing him to seek medical attention.Speaking at the post-match presentation, Iyer said about his injury, “All I can say about the hand is that it is nice, same as it was before, I do not want to jinx anything.”He also heaped praise on Connolly’s match-winning knock, saying, “Cooper has got a great mindset and hope he continues his form. I have seen him play for Australia. Some of the shots he played were surreal to watch, especially the one off Rashid.”
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