“Surreal”. “Incredible”. “Phenomenal”.
This is how Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer described Cooper Connolly’s knock against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the team’s opening match in New Chandigarh on Tuesday. On his IPL debut, Connolly scored an unbeaten 44-ball 72 from No. 3 to seal a 163-run chase that looked very easy at one point but turned nervous towards the end.
Connolly’s innings was equal parts boldness and maturity. He came out to bat in the second over of the chase after Priyansh Arya fell cheaply. The ball did not reach the bat until that moment. But as PBKS began their chase, it began to drizzle: too light to stop the game but heavy enough to speed up the game.
Connolly had only hit five of his first six balls, but there were already signs of aggression. He had just attempted a lofted shot against Mohammed Siraj, but it barely cleared halfway. Siraj’s next delivery was a little shorter. That allowed Connolly to free his arms and hit it at midwicket for four. The moment had not yet come, but the location had.
In the next over, he also found the opportune moment when he bowled Kagiso Rabada from long distance. When fellow debutant Ashok Sharma bowled one at 143 kmph, Connolly used his quick hands to clip it over point for a flat six, moving to 22 off 13 balls.
For someone who learned cricket in Perth, the pace wasn’t going to cause any problems. Connolly’s real test was always going to be spinning. So there was interest when Rashid Khan came in to bowl the last over of the powerplay.
Before Tuesday, Connolly had never faced Rashid. He tried to throw his first ball but they beat him in speed. But that was all it took. Rashid’s next installment was close to being of good length. Connolly stayed on the leg side of the ball and used his quick hands to move it to the left of midfield for four.
In his next over, Rashid turned around the wicket but ended up bowling a half-track. Connolly stood at his crease and took it towards the second level, for six off 103 metres.
“It was unbelievable,” Iyer said of the shot after the game. “One of the best bowlers in the IPL, and to hit him with such clarity and precision was just phenomenal.”
A few overs later, Rashid attempted a googly. Once again it was too short and Connolly sent it across the middle of the field. In total, he plundered 22 off 12 balls against Rashid. Of his other 12 balls, Rashid scored 1 for 7.
Even if you hadn’t seen Connolly hit before this, you already knew he could hit the ball very hard. How difficult? Iyer had a first-hand experience when Connolly hit one straight into the non-striker’s end. Iyer instinctively put his right hand in the path, taking the blow, wincing in pain and perhaps wondering if he had the worst seat in the house.
At 110 for 2 after 12 overs, PBKS were cruising; the remaining 53 races seemed a mere formality. It was then that Prasidh Krishna changed course. With his first ball, he caught Iyer at mid-wicket. In his next final, he also dismissed Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis.
Suddenly it was 118 for 6 and GT had the lead. But Connolly showed great temperament. With 42 needed off 30 balls, he hit Rabada for a four and a six to calm his nerves. He hit another four off Prasidh and, accordingly, the winning runs too: with two needed off six balls, he whipped Washington Sundar through the covers for four.
Connolly was named Player of the Match. It was the perfect start to the tournament for him, but his form had not been great coming into the IPL. He started the 2025-26 BBL with 59 for 31 and 77 for 37, but could only score 73 runs in the next ten innings. When Australia toured Pakistan, they managed a solitary run in three T20Is. In the 2026 World T20, he played two matches, scoring 3 and 11 not out.
During the BBL, he at least contributed with the ball: his 15 wickets were the seventh highest and he earned an economy rate of 6.40.
In the IPL, however, he will not be able to bowl until the end of April due to a back problem. Whatever contribution he has to make until then has to be with the bat.
So it was a major blow from that point of view as well. But what did he do to get back into racing? “I had a couple of weeks home just to refresh, reset and spend some time with family and friends,” Connolly said. “And that was probably the point where I switched and thought, okay, I’m going to reset and get into the IPL again.”
Connolly hit five sixes in his innings. To put it in context, GT only hit three in all of his innings. When asked about his six-hit drills, Connolly said: “I’m more of a tempo player. I like to feel the flow in my hands; I don’t try to hit too many big sixes. But working with Ricky [Ponting, the PBKS head coach] It’s been great. [I made] Some small adjustments that have helped me during these first five days.”
It’s only been one inning, but teammate Yuzvendra Chahal has already declared that Connolly “could be one of the finds of the season.”
After being chosen at the auction, Connolly said he wanted to “leave a legacy in Punjab”. If Chahal’s assessment turns out to be true, he has already gone a long way in that direction.