Australia and Punjab Kings all-rounder Cooper Connolly’s Instagram story caught the eyeballs as he has reportedly flown home to undergo scans for his injury amid IPL 2026. Connolly, who has been playing only as a batter in the ten-team tournament, could also bowl moving forward if reportedly cleared by Cricket Australia.
IPL 2026: What injury has Cooper Connolly been dealing with?
Having been bought in the IPL 2026 auction for ₹3 crore, Cricket Australia’s medical team had advised him not to bowl left-arm spin in the initial phase of the tournament due to a back issue and will feature only as a specialist batter for the Punjab Kings. Hence, Connolly could have landed in Australia to receive clearance ahead of Punjab Kings’ remaining games, with their next set to take place only on April 25, Saturday against the Delhi Capitals in an away fixture.
🚨 This story by Cooper Connolly 9 hours ago could mean a few things . ⚠️ NO CONFIRMATION YET !
1. He is gone for a few scans to Aus #PBKS #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/vqPydKea1B— Punjab kings Army (@cricketnews589) April 22, 2026
The youngster has been incredible with the bat thus far, hitting two half-centuries and notably starred on debut with an unbeaten 72 against the Gujarat Titans to nail a tricky run-chase. The game against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) saw the southpaw belted a 46-ball 87, including seven sixes en route to his 182-run partnership with Priyansh Arya. It gave the Punjab Kings a total of 254 as they eventually won by 54 runs.
IPL 2026: How have Punjab Kings performed so far?
Meanwhile, the Punjab Kings are the only unbeaten side so far, winning five out of their six games. The sixth match was a washout against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) due to rain but they were firmly in front even in that clash when only 3.4 overs were bowled. Shreyas Iyer and co. will back themselves to beat the Capitals, who have been inconsistent as they won their first two games, followed by a couple more defeats. The Capitals beat the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) but again lost to the SunRisers Hyderabad.
The Punjab Kings had reached the final but lost to the Royal Challengers. They will be hoping to go one better on this occasion.
