Australia's 22-year-old Cooper Connolly scored his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) century for Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 6. Connolly's unbeaten 107 wasn't enough to taken SRH close to the target but it earned praise from Australia's ODI World Cup 2023-winning captain Pat Cummins. The SRH skipper is happy to see Aussies doing well in the ongoing IPL 2026.
“Good to see the Aussies doing well. He's been a star this season with the bat for them. He is not bowling at the moment, but still showing his worth as a batter. So good times for Oz,” Cummins said in the post-match presentation.
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PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer lauded Connolly as well for showing character in the run chase where most batters failed.
“He's phenomenal. His mindset is top notch and the character he brings onto the field, it's something that all players can learn from him,” Iyer said after the 33-run loss at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Connolly makes the most of dropped chances
Connolly had to walk out to bat early in the run chase as Cummins dismissed Priyansh Arya in the first over. Prabhsimran Singh and Iyer were dismissed cheaply as well. In the 13th over, PBKS were 119/6 with Shashank Singh dismissed for a single-digit score on comeback. In the next over, the young Australian reached his half-century from 34 balls.
Connolly's catch was dropped by Sakib Hussain in the 15th over. In the slog overs, Connolly was dropped again, this time by Shivang Kumar. He rubbed salt on Eshan Malinga's wounds with a couple of sixes. In the final over, he hit Shivang for a four to reach his maiden T20 ton from 57 deliveries. His knock of 107 off 59 balls featured seven fours and eight sixes. He prevented a huge dent on PBKS' net run rate (NRR), taking them to 202/7 in the run chase.
PBKS’ next game
With 13 points from 10 games, PBKS are placed second on the points table. Their next match is on May 11 against Delhi Capitals (DC) who are in a perform or perish situation. PBKS will host DC at Dharamsala's HPCA Stadium.
Connolly surpasses Prabhsimran, breaks De Kock’s all-time IPL record
Currently, Connolly is PBKS' leading run-scorer in the tournament. From nine innings, he has scored 377 runs at an average of 53.85 and strike rate of 171.36. Apart from the century, he has two fifties to his name as well, including one on debut.
Connolly also broke the record for youngest overseas batter to score a century in IPL history. Connolly was 22 years and 257 days of age on May 6. The previous record belonged to South Africa's Quinton de Kock who was 23 years and 122 days of age when he scored a century for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2016 edition.