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Cooper Connolly is only two matches into his first IPL campaign, yet the 22-year-old from Perth already has a Player-of-the-Match award and a small slice of franchise folklore. A calm, unbeaten 72 on debut for Punjab Kings – still remembered as Kings XI Punjab when Shaun Marsh performed a similar trick in 2008 – invited inevitable comparisons with his fellow Western Australian. Connolly accepts the link, but is in no hurry to copy anyone else’s method.
“Luckily enough, I’m quite close with Mitch [Shaun’s brother and Australia T20I captain Mitchell] and Shaun, which is always nice. I sort of obviously play with Mitch now,” he said during a media call organised by JioStar. “I sort of grew up watching Shaun. I used to just love watching him. He just played the game on his terms, and that’s what I appreciate. And I guess that’s the same sort of way I want to play my game.”
Key facts first
• Debut innings: 72* from 44 balls, including five fours and five sixes
• Most eye-catching blows: two sixes apiece off Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada
• Age: 22; role: left-hand batter who bowls occasional left-arm spin
• Franchise: Punjab Kings, currently coached by Ricky Ponting, captained by Shreyas Iyer
Tempo, not raw muscle
Punjab’s top order is built around early acceleration, yet Connolly describes himself as “more of a tempo player” – someone who prefers to bed in before expanding. On debut he crawled to three from five balls, then peeled off 24 from the next 11 to catch up inside the powerplay.
“I think each player has their own strengths, and I’m pretty keen to stick to my own strengths,” he said. “It’s been successful for me so far. So, yes, obviously power is becoming a big part of T20 cricket, but there’s other ways to go around it [too]. And that’s going to be me sort of understanding and learning, and I’m going to get around that.”
Learning on the fly
For all the striking he managed against Rashid and Rabada, Connolly insists he is “not a natural six-hitter”. The focus, he adds, is on gathering knowledge rather than chasing numbers.
“There’s still a lot of time to learn. But I think it’s going to be about asking around and understanding how other people go about it, and switching from format to format, and, yeah, just seeing what might work for me and take the notes down and try it out. And eventually, I’ll work something out.”
Support network
That learning curve is smoothed by a dressing-room featuring Ponting – “world-class”, in Connolly’s words – and Iyer, whom he first spoke to during Australia’s tour of India last September. Regular chats with Marsh brothers Mitchell and Shaun add further guidance. The presence of these senior figures, Connolly believes, allows young players to “nail down my game and then add little bits to the puzzle”.
“But, yeah, I’m pretty happy with sort of the tempo game at the moment because that’s allowing me to perform the best that I can for this team. And even in other tournaments as well, I think it’s something… what I’ve done for the last five, six years now, and I’ll slowly adapt from that, and I’ll get better at obviously those areas.”
Analysis – why tempo matters
T20 batting often gets reduced to strike-rate charts and boundary counts. Yet franchises still need someone who can change gears without panicking, especially when early wickets fall or surfaces slow. Connolly’s method – start quietly, pick the right bowlers, accelerate later – offers that balance. His ability to line up spinners as well as express-pace quicks also hints at a rounded skill set that could travel well beyond Indian pitches.
Challenges ahead
Opposition analysts are already poring over footage of his preferred scoring zones – largely straight and through mid-wicket. Expect fuller, wider lines and heavier use of slower balls in the middle overs. How Connolly responds will shape not only his maiden IPL season but also his bid for an Australia cap.
The last word remains his, delivered with customary understatement: “I think there’s still some slight things that I do that I still haven’t mastered yet.” For now, sticking to his own rhythm appears mastery enough.
