Cooper Connolly, on his IPL debut, played a memorable knock for Punjab Kings and helped them secure a hard-fought 3-wicket win over Gujarat Titans. In match No. 4 of IPL 2026 played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, the 22-year-old played an unbeaten knock of 72 runs from 44 balls and scored 5 fours and as many sixes during his stay at the crease.
Connolly, who was signed for Rs 3 crore by PBKS in the IPL 2026 auction, was sent to bat No. 3 in his first-ever IPL match by PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting after Priyansh Arya’s dismissal, and he made the most of the opportunity.
Connolly, who idolises Shaun Marsh, reached the 50-run mark in 34 balls by hitting Kagiso Rabada
for a four on the first ball of the 16th over of the run chase and scored a four on the first ball of the 20th over of the run chase bowled by Washington Sundar to seal the deal for the hosts.
The youngster is seen as a long-term replacement for legendary Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell by both Australia and PBKS, and with his super show with the bat he has certainly lived up to the hype. Like Maxwell, Connolly is also an attacking batter who also contributes with his spin bowling.
He featured in 52 T20 matches before making his IPL debut for PBKS on Tuesday, and in those 52 games he amassed a total of 870 runs in addition to taking 30 wickets.
Connolly’s record for Australia
Connolly, who represents Western Australia in domestic cricket, has played one Test, 8 ODIs and 11 T20Is for Australia. He made his international debut against Scotland during a T20I match played in Edinburgh on September 7, 2024, and his only Test appearance was against Sri Lanka in Galle last year (February 6-9, 2025) under Steve Smith’s leadership.
He has 4 runs and 0 wickets to his name in Tests, 94 runs and 6 wickets in ODIs and 28 runs and 3 wickets in T20Is. Of his six ODI wickets, five came in one match against South Africa, which was played on August 24, 2025, in Mackay.
He was part of Australia’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad and played two matches against Ireland and Sri Lanka but was not able to take even one wicket.
