Australian batting all-rounder Cooper Connolly shared his excitement about joining Punjab Kings (PBKS) for IPL 2026. He also spoke about working under PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain who won five ICC trophies.
During a virtual media interaction, Connolly revealed that he had no prior discussion with Ponting or anyone from PBKS. Answering a question from NDTV, he said, “No, there was no kind of communication between me and him (Ponting) before the auction. I was quite nervous and didn’t know which team was going to bid for me. I was just sitting there and watching the auction. So, I feel quite privileged to be picked by PBKS and am really looking forward to playing for them.”
Sharing his excitement about working with Ponting, Connolly said, “I’ve heard a lot of good things about him. I haven’tdone a lot of work with him just yet. So, I’m looking forward to spending some time with him and sort of doing some tweaks to my batting and seeing what his thoughts are on it.”
Talking about the IPL, the 22-year-old said, “Everyone goes to this tournament (IPL) because it’s probably going to be the most competitive. I’m also looking forward to getting over there and challenging myself against some of the best bowlers in the world.”
He also admitted that playing against spin will not be easy. “Yeah, it’s very different to Australia. We’ve obviously got some fast, bouncy wickets. But that challenge of playing spin is tough for everyone,” Connolly said.
PBKS acquired Connolly for ₹3 crore at the IPL mini-auction on December 16.
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