Punjab Kings batter Cooper Connolly made a dream debut in IPL 2026, guiding his team to a thrilling three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in Mullanpur. Conolly smashed an unbeaten 44-ball 72 to help Punjab Kings execute a successful chase with five balls to spare and open their account at the earliest juncture.
The 22-year-old walked in after the cheap dismissal of opener Priyansh Arya. He held the innings with his calculatedly aggressive approach alongside Prabhsimran Singh, as the duo added 76 for the second wicket in just 49 balls. Conolly stood unbeaten in the chase and finished it off despite wickets tumbling at the other end.
Reflecting on his performance, he admitted that there was a “little bit of nerves” when he woke up on the matchday. But when the moment arrived, Conolly was anything but nervous.
“I woke up in the morning with a little bit of nerves, which I was really happy about, but yeah, I was really looking forward to getting out there and playing my part the best I can,” he told JioStar.
Conolly also credited coach Ricky Ponting for keeping him calm and composed and backing him to play his natural game.
“Ricky Ponting just kept me calm and collected. He told me to play my game, go out there and dominate. It was a nice team performance. We were very strong with the ball and made things easier for ourselves. It was a really good day for us. I was looking forward to spending time out in the middle with Shreyas Iyer and just sort of picking his brains a little bit. He’s a world-class player. I’ve played a little bit of cricket with him for Australia A and Australia. He is a great player for a reason, and hopefully, I can learn as much as I can,” he said.
He further opened up on following Shaun Marsh’s footsteps as an Australian left-hander, top-order batter for Punjab Kings:
“It was a nice moment when I got picked up. Shaun Marsh was the first person I spoke to about it and he gave me some good words. Growing up, I played at Western Australia with him for a long period of time and he has always been good to me. I looked up to him as a mentor and an idol and really enjoyed spending some time with him. It’s nice to be among the runs. There are still plenty of games to go and I am really looking.
Punjab Kings will face Chennai Super Kings in an away fixture at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 3.
