Has Cooper Connolly joined Punjab Kings ahead of DC vs PBKS clash in IPL 2026?
(Courtesy : BCCI/IPL)
Cooper Connolly made his debut in IPL 2026.
Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly, who made his debut in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 for Punjab Kings (PBKS), has been one of the major reasons behind his team’s dominance. The batting all-rounder scored a half-century in his first game against Gujarat Titans (GT), leading the team to victory.
He also won the Player of the Match (POTM) award in the encounter and grabbed the spotlight of the Indian cricket fraternity. He has scored two half-centuries in the tournament so far and has been in amazing form.
In the previous game against LSG, he scored 87 runs and helped PBKS to post a gigantic total of 254/7. They won the match like a walk in the park by 54 runs.
Will Cooper Connolly play in DC vs PBKS clash of IPL 2026?
Recently, Connolly took a brief break from IPL 2026 and travelled back to Australia for scans of his back injury, which was monitored by Cricket Australia (CA). He reportedly has been declared fit and might even bowl in the league now.
PBKS are set to clash with Delhi Capitals (DC) today at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Connolly has returned from Australia after his successful test and is available for today’s clash. This was confirmed by PBKS’ spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule in the pre-match press conference.
“Yes, he’s very much available. He just went there and has come back. He’s ready and raring to go. When it comes to bowling, the new-ball phase has been decent, but that’s an area we need to improve,” Buhutule was quoted as saying by Times of India (TOI).
“The middle and death overs have been fabulous for us. Going forward, there will be situations where the batters might not get a start, but I think we are very well-equipped. There is depth in our batting,” he added.
Connolly has been PBKS’ leading run-scorer with 223 runs in five innings at an average of 55.75 and a strike rate of 163.97.
Meanwhile, the Shreyas Iyer & Co. take the top spot in the IPL 2026 points table with 11 points. They have been unbeaten in the tournament so far across six games, with five defeats and one no-result match.
Cooper Connolly is part of which team in IPL 2026?
He is playing for Punjab Kings in the tournament.
Who is the leading run-scorer for PBKS?
Connolly is the leading run-scorer for PBKS with 223 runs.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.