Kilmarnock began their Premier Sports Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win against League Two side Elgin City, needing a stoppage-time strike from Joe Hugill to secure all three points. The Scottish Premiership outfit faced a challenging match, playing with ten men for a significant portion of the game, before Hugill's late intervention settled the Group G fixture.
Elsewhere, fellow Premiership side St Johnstone enjoyed a more straightforward start, dispatching Greenock Morton with a decisive 3-0 victory at McDiarmid Park. Jamie Gullan was instrumental for the Perth side, breaking the deadlock with a penalty in the 69th minute and later adding another from the spot after Reece McAlear had doubled their advantage.
Holders St Mirren also kicked off their defence of the trophy in commanding fashion, securing a comfortable 4-0 away win against Cove Rangers in Group C. New signings Jalmaro Calvin and Samuel Ramos both found the net, with Luke Douglas, a 17-year-old, scoring his first senior goal for the Buddies, as Craig McLeish's team demonstrated their intent to retain the cup.
In a thrilling Group C encounter, League One newcomers East Kilbride emerged victorious in an eight-goal spectacle, beating Dumbarton 5-3. Cameron Elliott was the star for East Kilbride, netting a hat-trick before half-time. Despite Dumbarton staging a comeback to level the score at 3-3 with goals from Leighton McIntosh and Scott Honeyman, late strikes from Darragh O'Connor and Craig McGuffie sealed the win for the hosts.
Other notable results across the groups included Queen of the South's 3-0 win over Brora Rangers, Montrose beating Stirling Albion 2-0, and Airdrieonians defeating Annan Athletic 3-0. Ross County also secured a 3-1 victory against Clyde, while Inverness Caledonian Thistle overcame Linlithgow Rose 2-0, and Stenhousemuir edged out Brechin City 2-1.