Punjab Kings’ winning start to the IPL 2026 season has been slightly dampened after captain Shreyas Iyer was slapped with a ₹12 lakh fine for a slow over-rate. The penalty followed his side’s hard-fought three-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans, a match that marked the beginning of their new campaign on a high, despite the disciplinary hiccup.

According to an official media release, the fine was issued under Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. Since this was the team’s first over-rate offence of the season, the sanction was kept to the minimum ₹12 lakh threshold for the skipper.

On the pitch, the Punjab Kings’ bowling unit put in a disciplined performance to restrict Gujarat to a modest 162 for six. Pacer Vyshak Vijayakumar and the evergreen Yuzvendra Chahal were the pick of the bowlers, accounting for five wickets between them and keeping the Titans’ scoring in check throughout the middle overs.

The run chase, however, was far from straightforward. Punjab’s batting line-up suffered several jitters before eventually crossing the line with five balls to spare. The hero of the hour was young Australian talent Cooper Connolly, whose composed and unbeaten 72 off just 44 deliveries ensured Punjab secured the points in the 20th over. While Iyer will be frustrated by the dent in his match fee, the composure shown by his younger players in the dugout will likely provide plenty of consolation.

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