Cooper Connolly will be available for Punjab Kings against Delhi Capitals on Saturday after the 22-year-old returned from Australia, where he had gone for scans on his back. Punjab Kings spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said Connolly is fit and ready to play.
“Yes, he’s very much available. He just went there and has come back. He’s ready and raring to go,” Bahutule said on the eve of the match in IPL 2026. The update matters for Punjab because Connolly has been one of their most productive batters this season, scoring 223 runs at a strike rate of 163.97, including knocks of 72 not out and 87.
He has not bowled yet in the tournament, and that remains a watched issue for Punjab and Cricket Australia, which had monitored his bowling fitness while he was away. For a side sitting top of the points table and chasing a first title after finishing last season as runners-up, even the return of one all-round option carries weight.
Bahutule said Punjab are not short of options even if their batters are asked to absorb a bad day. “When it comes to bowling, the new-ball phase has been decent, but that’s an area we need to improve. The middle and death overs have been fabulous for us,” he said. “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.”
Delhi, meanwhile, come in after a 47-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, which adds pressure to a match against the table-toppers. For Connolly, the immediate question is not whether he can help Punjab’s batting order — he already has — but whether his back will allow him to add overs later in the campaign.
