Australia’s Cooper Connolly, 22, made a striking first impression in the IPL with his maiden innings—an effort that drew instant comparisons to his idol Shaun Marsh. Marsh, then 24, had produced a memorable debut in the league’s opening season in 2008 for the same franchise that is now Punjab Kings, back when they were known as Kings XI Punjab.
Marsh’s debut remained the benchmark at the time, as he finished with an unbeaten 84 and was named Player of the Match. Eighteen years later, Connolly delivered his own debut statement, posting 72 not out to earn the same award on his first appearance. Both players also share a Western Australia background, adding another layer to the resemblance.
Following the footsteps of Shaun Marsh
Connolly spoke about the closeness he feels to the Marsh family, explaining that his relationship with Mitch Marsh—Shaun’s brother and Australia’s T20I captain—helps him stay connected to the wider circle. He also highlighted that he has exchanged messages with Shaun during the period when the former batter was still playing.
“Luckily enough, I’m quite close with Mitch and Shaun, which is always nice. I sort of obviously play with Mitch now,” Connolly said during a media interaction supported by JioStar on Thursday. “But, yeah, I’ve had some communications with Shaun when he was still playing, and I really enjoyed that.”
He added that he grew up watching Marsh closely, admiring the way the left-hander controlled the game in a manner that suited him. Connolly said he wants to approach cricket in a similar spirit—playing on his own terms rather than chasing a style that doesn’t fit.
“I sort of grew up watching Shaun. I used to just love watching him. He just played the game on his terms, and that’s what I appreciate. And I guess that’s the same sort of way I want to play my game,” Connolly said.
IPL debut: calm beginnings, then momentum
In his opening IPL innings, Connolly struck twice for six off two top-class international bowlers—Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada. Across the knock, he struck five fours and five maximums in total, reaching 72 not out off 44 balls, and was again recognised as Player of the Match.
Even though his team environment encourages aggressive batting from the start, Connolly stressed that he is comfortable doing what he believes in most: building an innings in a way that suits his strengths. Against Gujarat Titans in his debut game, he began with just three runs from his first five deliveries. He then altered the tempo in the powerplay, adding 24 runs from the next 11 balls.
Connolly also admitted he isn’t trying to force his game into being purely about hitting sixes. After the innings, he described himself as more of a “tempo player,” saying he likes to “feel the flow of my hands.”
He elaborated on that mindset, arguing that every batter has their own strengths and that he wants to keep leaning into his. While he acknowledged that power is becoming increasingly important in T20 cricket, he suggested there are multiple routes to success and that he is still learning how to add more dimensions without losing what already works.
“I think each player has their own strengths, and I’m pretty keen to stick to my own strengths. It’s been successful for me so far. So, yes, obviously power is becoming a big part of T20 cricket, but there’s other ways to go around it too. And that’s going to be me sort of understanding and learning, and I’m going to get around that,” Connolly said.
He continued: for the moment, he is pleased with the tempo approach because it allows him to perform at his best for the side. He also suggested his process will continue beyond the current tournament—adapting over time and improving in other areas as he goes.
“But, yeah, I’m pretty happy with sort of the tempo game at the moment because that’s allowing me to perform the best that I can for this team. And even in other tournaments as well, I think it’s something… what I’ve done for the last five, six years now, and I’ll slowly adapt from that, and I’ll get better at obviously those areas. But I’m looking forward to sort of, yeah, just nailing down my game and then adding little bits to the puzzle,” Connolly added.
Learning at PBKS: talks with Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting
Connolly’s IPL journey with PBKS has included close interaction with Shreyas Iyer, the captain, and Ricky Ponting, the head coach. He noted that his conversations with Iyer began much earlier than the current campaign, stretching back to September–October 2025, when he was in India representing Australia A.
During that period, Iyer captained India A in the first-class match and the subsequent one-day fixtures, while Connolly was still waiting for his opportunity with PBKS at the time.
Connolly also said that tour proved valuable because it gave him his first real exposure to spin-friendly Indian conditions, which differ sharply from what he usually experiences in Australia, particularly in Western Australia. He described scoring 70 off 84 balls in the opening first-class contest in Lucknow and then following it with an impact in the List A matches—where he became Australia A’s leading run-scorer.
In three matches against India A, he accumulated 147 runs, including two half-centuries, at a strike rate of 145.54.
Balancing formats: from red ball to T20
Since 2024, Connolly has moved into Australia’s senior setup across all three formats. He believes his “relatively aggressive” approach in the longer format helps align his game for both red-ball cricket and 50-over matches. When it comes to T20, however, he framed it as a different challenge—how to transition from those two formats into the shortest one, and then back again.
“I think that’s the beauty about playing all three formats,” he said. “It’s a challenge, and it’s going to take some time to sort of understand how I’m going to go between all three formats. But I’m enjoying that challenge, and I’m learning every time… I’m still 22. So I’m still trying to work that out and what works for me. But yeah, it’s the beauty of the game. You’re not going to have everything worked out by the age of 22.”
He added that the key for him is to keep asking questions and studying how others manage their transitions, then experimenting to see what fits his own game. Connolly suggested he still has small elements he hasn’t fully mastered yet, and he is looking forward to refining them.
“And there’s still a lot of time to learn. But I think it’s going to be about asking around and understanding how other people go about it, and switching from format to format, and, yeah, just seeing what might work for me and take the notes down and try it out. And eventually, I’ll work something out. But I think there’s still some slight things that I do that I still haven’t mastered yet. So I’m looking forward to that,” he said.
Aiming at IPL 2026—and staying close to Shaun Marsh
For now, Connolly is focused on building a big impact in IPL 2026, and he has already begun with a positive start. He also wants to keep contact with his idol, saying that some people believe his cover drive resembles Marsh’s—though he jokingly noted that Marsh’s is a touch more elegant.
“There’s still a lot of cricket to go in this tournament,” Connolly said. “And, yeah, I’m sure I’ll touch base with him at some point this tournament.”
