New Delhi, April 9 – Considered one of the most fearless young batting prodigies in the Punjab Kings (PBKS) setup, Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly said on Thursday that he is “very grateful” for the glowing endorsement he received from captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting following his explosive start to the season.
Connolly shone in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, scoring an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls in his debut game as a number three batter against the Gujarat Titans in New Chandigarh, earning him the Player of the Match award and earning praise for anchoring the chase despite a middle-order wobble.
This was followed by a knock of 36 against Chennai Super Kings, as PBKS secured their second consecutive win. “It’s been a great start. Hopefully, we can continue winning and, yeah, stay at the top. I think it’s nice. I obviously spoke to Shreyas a little bit during the Australia vs. India (ODI) series a couple of months back, and we just communicated and talked.”
“I enjoy watching him. I enjoy learning from him. He has obviously said some nice things about me, and I am very grateful for that. He’s a world-class player, but I will keep trying to learn and get better and try to put my best foot forward for this team, and hopefully, continue to get the support from this franchise.”
“Hopefully, we can get some wins, whether it’s with the bat or with the ball. I’m just looking to play my best and hope for some team success,” Connolly said, in response to a question from a reporter.
Although Connolly has been praised for his fearlessness, he admitted that making his first IPL appearance was nerve-wracking. “I think when I was sitting on the bench and getting ready to go out, I was pretty nervous. That’s probably where it all started. Probably in the morning when I woke up, I had a little bit of a feeling in my stomach, just nervous.”
“But being nervous is always a good thing. Walking out to bat, I was obviously quite nervous, and then I just slowly got into it. The longer I was out there, the more comfortable I felt, and the more I just tried to relax and play what’s in front of me,” he added.
Connolly, who will play as a specialist batter until the end of April due to a back issue that is affecting his left-arm spin bowling, further explained how the team's culture, led by Iyer, encourages young players to express themselves without fear of failure.
“It’s always nice to have a positive attitude around the group. Our captain, Shreyas, leads by example. He’s always positive, and he has a saying that we know we’re going to win, and it’s not arrogant or anything.
“It’s just about being confident in this group and what this group can achieve. I think that’s stuck with this team, and he is a bit of a leader. So a lot of people in this team follow him, and he leads by example.
“Everyone likes to be around him because he’s just a good person, both on and off the field. So he’s someone that everyone wants to be around. I guess players want to play under him and do well for him because he deserves that credit,” Connolly concluded.
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