The Punjab Kings kicked off their 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season with an impressive all-round display, securing an 11-run victory against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.

Captain Shreyas Iyer led from the front with an unbeaten 97, supported by notable innings from Priyansh Arya and Shashank Singh, enabling the team to set a formidable total of 243/5 in their 20 overs after being invited to bat first by Gujarat. In pursuit of 244 runs, skipper Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan faced a challenging start against the potent bowling of Arshdeep Singh and Azmatullah Omarzai, with Gill later ramping up the tempo to keep pace with the escalating run rate.

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After failing to score, Glenn Maxwell, who set a record for the most ducks in IPL history, finally made his mark with the ball in the final over of the powerplay. He managed to find Gill’s edge, which was caught at cover point.

Jos Buttler made his debut for the Gujarat Titans after seven seasons with the Rajasthan Royals. He cautiously navigated the middle overs as Sudarshan took the initiative against the bowlers. After a slower start, Sudarshan accelerated, scoring his seventh IPL fifty off 31 balls, and raced to 74 runs, featuring five fours and six sixes, before falling to Arshdeep.

With 70 runs needed from 30 balls, the Titans introduced their Impact Player, Sherfane Rutherford, who made an immediate impact with two sixes and a four off Marcus Stoinis. However, Punjab’s impressive death bowling allowed only 12 runs in the following two overs. Buttler, after achieving his 20th half-century, was eventually dismissed by Marco Jansen, paving the way for Rahul Tewatia to face a daunting challenge.

Ultimately, Gujarat’s chase ended with too many runs and too few balls. Tewatia was out on his first ball, and Rutherford’s straight shot deflected onto the wickets. Arshdeep then bowled the West Indies batter to secure the victory for Punjab.

Earlier, debutant Priyansh Arya launched his IPL career and capitalized on a dropped catch by Arshad Khan, taking on the Gujarat bowlers after Prabhsimran Singh’s early exit.

Alongside Iyer, Arya put pressure on the bowlers, notably scoring 21 runs in one over off Arshad. However, Shubman Gill turned to his ace spinner, Rashid Khan, who struck at a crucial moment, dismissing Arya shortly after he attempted to go big and ended up top-edging a catch.

The introduction of Sai Kishore marked a turning point for the Titans, as he claimed the wickets of Azmatullah Omarzai and then LBW-ed Maxwell in consecutive deliveries. Despite a successful start, Iyer forged a 57-run partnership with Marcus Stoinis before Kishore dismissed the latter. Iyer and Shashank Singh continued to excel, adding 71 runs in just 28 balls.

With Iyer stranded on 97, Shashank finished strongly, scoring 44 off 16 balls, including five boundaries in the final over, while Iyer fell just three runs short of his maiden IPL century.

Brief Scores:

Punjab Kings: 243/5 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 97*, Priyansh Arya 47; Sai Kishore 3-30, Kagiso Rabada 1-41, Rashid Khan 1-48) defeated Gujarat Titans: 232/5 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharshan 74, Jos Buttler 54, Sherfane Rutherford 46; Arshdeep Singh 2-36, Marco Jansen 2-44) by 11 runs.