A few days can change everything in cricket and Cooper Connolly’s journey proves exactly that. The young Australian all-rounder, who recently lost his central contract with Cricket Australia, played in the IPL in spectacular fashion by starring in Punjab Kings’ thrilling three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026.
Cooper Connolly had been on Australia’s radar early, earning a Test debut and multiple white-ball opportunities over the last 18 months. However, his struggles in T20 internationals became hard to ignore. With only 28 runs in 11 T20Is at an average of 4.66, he was among those left out when Cricket Australia reduced its central contracts list to 21 players for the 2026–27 season. Sam Konstas was another young name to miss out, especially as Australia prepares for a packed schedule that could include up to 21 Tests in 12 months.
Despite the setback, Cooper Connolly (72*) showed resilience on the IPL stage. Punjab Kings were under pressure while chasing 163 after Prasidh Krishna’s impressive 3/29 rattled their batting. That’s when Cooper Connolly stepped up. Batting at No. 3, he built a crucial 76-run partnership with Prabhsimran Singh, who scored 37 off 24 balls, guiding the team to victory with five deliveries remaining.
After the match, Cooper Connolly shared how he had taken time off with family and friends to reset mentally. He described himself as a “tempo player”, someone who focuses on timing rather than power hitting, and credited his experience of working with Ricky Ponting as valuable.
Having struggled earlier against spin for Australia, Cooper Connolly looked far more comfortable this time. Facing 13 balls of pace before taking on Rashid Khan seemed to suit his rhythm perfectly. Meanwhile, his Punjab Kings teammate Xavier Bartlett managed to retain his national contract, highlighting the contrasting fortunes within the squad.
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