Shreyas Iyer becomes the first offender of IPL 2026, BCCI rolls out heavy punishment for Punjab Kings captain

“Punjab Kings (PBKS) Captain Shreyas Iyer has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match No. 4 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh,” a statement released by the IPL read.

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“As this was his team’s first offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, Iyer was fined INR 12 lakhs.”

This isn’t the first time Iyer has been found responsible for this offence. Last year, Iyer copped BCCI’s punishment, not once but twice, for maintaining a slow over rate. Already fined ₹12 lakh for his first breach, Iyer was later docked ₹24 lakh for repeating it during the tournament.

Also Read: Ricky Ponting’s No.3 gamble pays off as Cooper Connolly stands tall through chaos vs GT

Iyer and PBKS must have breathed a sigh of relief after getting over the line. They did a good job of restricting a power-packed Gujarat batting line-up to 162, and seemed to be cruising along the way with Prabhsimran Singh and Cooper Connolly adding 77 runs for the second wicket. However, when Punjab slid from 110/2 to 118/6, the possibility of a choke looked highly likely before Connolly and Xavier Bartlett showed nerves of steel to give them two very important points. Connolly was rightfully named the Player of the match for remaining unbeaten on 72 off 44 balls.

Gill's gamble pays off but Punjab hold nerves

PBKS looked firmly in control of the chase, but the late introduction of Gujarat’s Impact Player, Prasidh Krishna, sparked drama. Held back until the 13th over by captain Shubman Gill, Prasidh produced a stunning spell, picking up three wickets for just three runs in 10 deliveries. His burst triggered a collapse that saw Punjab lose four wickets for eight runs in the space of 16 balls. Even then, Iyer had little reason to panic. The 22-year-old Connolly showed composure well beyond his years, calmly stitching together small but vital partnerships with South Africa’s Marco Jansen and fellow Australian Bartlett to steady the innings.

Earlier, Gujarat had raced out of the blocks, with Gill striking three boundaries in the second over off Bartlett. He and Sai Sudharsan — last season’s most prolific opening pair — added 37 before Jansen struck, having Sudharsan caught on the pull for 13. Gujarat maintained a brisk run rate of nine an over in the Powerplay, but as the ball softened, the going got tougher. Yuzvendra Chahal, IPL’s all-time leading wicket-taker, applied the brakes effectively. He had Gill caught at deep mid-wicket for 39 with a well-flighted delivery and soon dismissed Jos Buttler, who had battled to 38.

Gill and Buttler had added 46, but despite Glenn Phillips attempting to inject urgency, Gujarat struggled to truly seize control. Vijaykumar Vyshak proved effective with his slower variations, slicing through the middle order, while Jansen remained miserly, conceding just 20 runs in his four overs. Despite an extended 11-ball final over from Arshdeep Singh, Gujarat managed only 34 runs in the last five overs – a total that ultimately fell short once Connolly took charge.

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