Cooper Connolly kept Punjab Kings’ innings alive almost single-handedly on Wednesday night, carving an unbeaten 107 from 59 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Australian’s effort still left PBKS 17 short, yet it firmed up their net run-rate and, perhaps more importantly, underlined the 22-year-old’s growing reputation as a middle-order constant.
“He is somebody who’s very positive and he’s a great potential,” PBKS spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said afterwards. “Definitely he’ll play a long period for Australia. He’s a very good all-rounder in the making, fabulous fielder. And he’s got a good head on his shoulders.”
Connolly came into IPL 2026 without much noise, in the way Shaun Marsh did for the same franchise back in 2008. Marsh ended that season with the Orange Cap; Connolly is a stretch from that prize, yet in a batting order featuring Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer, he is the one clocking up the steady numbers.
Wednesday’s century was his third major contribution of the campaign. He started with 72* (44) versus Gujarat Titans, followed by 87 (46) against Lucknow Super Giants. PBKS won neither of those first two matches either, meaning Connolly is now part of an unwanted trend; six of this season’s ten hundreds have landed on the losing side.
Bahutule acknowledged the slightly hollow feeling but stressed the practical value of Connolly’s push in what was a fading chase. “He’s a team man,” Bahutule added. “For today’s conditions, we knew at some stage [that] it was a losing cause, but he just made sure that the momentum is on and see how we can get closer to the total. Because obviously things like these also help us in our net run-rate.”
The coach also confirmed that Cricket Australia have asked PBKS not to use Connolly’s left-arm spin for now, the youngster nursing a minor back complaint. Fielding drills remain unrestricted and Connolly’s work in the outfield has caught the eye as much as his strokes square on either side.
ESPNcricinfo pundit and former New Zealand wicketkeeper Katey Martin sees a player learning quickly. “I feel like he bats with conviction – in difficult situations, he’s stepped up for his side,” Martin said on the TimeOut show. “It’s pretty cool. He said he modelled himself on Shaun Marsh, who we know started at Punjab as well, and he [Connolly] has talked a lot about trying to be a legacy player and create a legacy at Punjab. So it shows that while in franchise cricket you can go anywhere, a player is really invested in what they’re doing.
“I’m sure that he’ll walk off tonight obviously frustrated at the [team’s] performance but have a lot of pride within himself and I think he’s been a real point of difference [for PBKS]. We have talked about Punjab, that various players step up at different times especially through that middle order, and he’ll take a lot of confidence out of this, to show that he deserves to be on this big stage.”
From PBKS’ perspective, there is still time for the rest of their order to catch up. Prabhsimran and Arya have both produced quick starts, Iyer a couple of fifty-plus knocks, but none has yet matched Connolly for consistency. Even so, a single win could shuffle a tight mid-table and leave the Kings within reach of the eliminators.
For Connolly the individual route forward looks clearer: keep scoring, manage the back, wait for Australia’s call. Net run-rate calculations are secondary rewards; the primary one is becoming a name the opposition plans for. Three significant innings in a month suggest that is already happening.
