NEW DELHI: Cooper Connolly played a brilliant unbeaten half-century as Punjab Kings beat Gujarat Titans by three wickets in their Indian Premier League opener on Tuesday, but it was the post-match celebration that grabbed just as much attention.A video of Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer’s sister Shresta Iyer performing bhangra has gone viral on social media, adding to the buzz around PBKS’ thrilling win.Soon after the win, Shrestha shared her celebration on Instagram and wrote, “Strong start, stronger intention. Ab bas jeet pe focus”. A disciplined bowling effort 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. Captain Shubman Gill (39), Jos Buttler (38), Glenn Phillips (25) and Washington Sundar (18) made key contributions for GT.In response, PBKS chased down the target in 19.1 overs with Connolly (72 not out from 44 balls) leading the charge. Prasidh Krishna (3/29), Rashid Khan (1/29) and Washington Sundar (1/27) took the wickets for GT.
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KKR Depart from Mumbai after losing to Mumbai IndiansHowever, the win also came with an injury to Iyer after a wild drive from Connolly hit him on the wrist at the non-striker’s end, forcing him to seek medical attention.In the post-match presentation, Iyer said of his injury: “All I can say about the hand is that it’s nice, the same as it was before, I don’t want to slander anything.”He also summed up the praise for Connolly’s match-winning knock, saying: “Cooper has a great mindset and I hope he continues his form. I’ve seen him play for Australia. Some of the shots he played were incredible to watch, especially the one that hit Rashid.”
