Cooper Connolly's unbeaten 72 on IPL debut powered Punjab Kings to victory, marking a breakout performance backed by Ricky Ponting's faith.
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Punjab Kings have a knack of making match-winners out of little-known cricketers -- Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, to name a few.
Key Points
- Cooper Connolly starred with an unbeaten 72 on IPL debut for Punjab Kings.
- Finished the game calmly with a boundary, showcasing maturity beyond his years.
- Signed for Rs 3 crore, already looks like a bargain signing for PBKS.
And on Tuesday night a new star was born as Cooper Connolly who stood tall against Gujarat Giants in their IPL opener in New Chandigarh.
Coming in at No 3, Connolly exuded confidence and played some eye-catching strokes. He scored at a great pace with his big hitting and supple wrists.
Batting at No 3 for the first time, he first put on a 76-run stand with Prabhsimran Singh to revive Punjab after an early wicket, while chasing 163 for victory.
The 22 year old then put on 27 runs with Captain Shreyas Iyer before the latter holed out to deep square leg.
This saw Punjab lose their way as 4 wickets fell in a heap -- the belated introduction of Prasidh Krishna (3 for 29) saw Punjab go from 110 for 2 to 118 for 6.
But Connolly showed maturity and did not get overawed in the situation. He held one end, and his nerves, and calmly closed out the match with a boundary, finishing on an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls.
Connolly became the 25th player to score 50-plus on his IPL debut.
Who is Cooper Connolly
IMAGE: Punjab Kings' Cooper Connolly was calmness personified as he guided his team to a thrilling win over Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. Photograph: ANI Photo
Connolly captained Australia in the Under-19 World Cup in 2022, where he led them to the semi-finals
A batting all rounder, he has played 11 T20Is scoring 28 runs at an average of around 5.
Playing for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League, he made his mark in the 2024-2025 season where he smashed over 350 runs in 10 innings (Average: 51 and strike rate of 132).
In the 2025-2026 season, Connolly started on a high with back-to-back half-centuries. But over the course of the tournament he experienced a dip in form -- he played 12 matches, scoring 209 runs at an average of just 20 but he scored at a strike rate of 140!
Coming into the IPL, Connolly was at his nadir as in the next 15 T20 innings across BBL, Australia's tour of Pakistan, and the 2026 T20 World Cup, he reached double figures only three times, with a highest score of just 28.
Yet he was backed by Punjab Coach Ricky Ponting. The Perth-born Connolly was signed for Rs 3 crore (Rs 30 million) at the mini-auction in December 2025, and what a bargain it's proven!
Connolly has shaped his batting on his role model, former Australian batter and Western Australia veteran Shaun Marsh.
His stance and stroke play, especially the cover drive are modelled on Marsh Senior.
Connolly does a Shaun Marsh
Connolly was adjudged Player of the Match on his IPL debut on Tuesday, just like Shaun Marsh for the same franchise 19 years ago!
Ponting waxed eloquent about his young ward: 'Honestly, there was a moment when I got a little nervous because the match had come so close and it felt like it was slipping out of our hands. But Cooper Connolly played an outstanding innings today, batted beautifully, and played brilliantly to help the team win.'