Cooper Connolly for Australia - (Source: AFP)
On Tuesday, March 31, Punjab Kings locked horns against Gujarat Titans in match 4 of IPL 2026. The two teams locked horns at the Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh. The hosts won the toss and opted to field first.
Talking about Punjab, the last year's finalists didn't make much changes to their overall squad except a few additions. The first task for PBKS at the auction table was to look for a replacement for Glenn Maxwell, who pulled out of IPL 2026.
Cooper Connolly The Perfect Replacement For Glenn Maxwell
At the mini-auction, Punjab went for Cooper Connolly and roped in the all-rounder for 3 crores. Cooper is the like-to-like replacement for Maxwell, because he can bat and also bowl four overs of spin.
Talking about his recent outing in BBL, Cooper was the star of the tournament as he scored 209 runs with the bat and also picked up 15 wickets. At present, Punjab have dealt a massive blow because they cannot bowl any over from the 22-year-old.
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Talking about the ongoing match, at the time of writing this article, Gujarat Titans have scored 85/2 after 10 overs and there are no signs of Cooper Connolly. The fans are confused as to why haven't the 22-year-old brought into the attack by Shreyas Iyer.
Why Didn't Cooper Connolly Bowl Against Gujarat Titans?
For the unversed, Shreyas Iyer and co cannot make Cooper bowl because of restrictions from Cricket Australia. The 22-year-old is still recovering from a stress fracture, which is why the apex cricket board of Australia has barred the PBKS all-rounder from bowling in the initial half of IPL 2026.
Cooper has a persistent back problem and to nurse the injury properly, Cricket Australia have asked Connolly to play as a pure batter.
Cooper Connolly In A Similar Fix As Cameron Green
Cooper Connolly is not the first Australian that has been barred from Cricket Australia to bowl in IPL 2026. Cameron Green is also facing a similar issue at KKR. Notably, the star all-rounder was roped in at whopping 25.20 crores during the auction.
In KKR's IPL 2026 opening match against Mumbai Indians, the Knight Riders failed to defend a massive total of 220 runs. Fans were furious with Ajinkya Rahane for not bringing Cameron Green into the attack.
Later, it was revealed by the KKR skipper himself that they have received instructions from CA to play Green as a specialist batter for the first 10-15 days of IPL 2026.
"Hopefully Green starts bowling soon and the combination will be slightly different. We batted really well, but finding that balance with the ball is really important. [On why Green can't bowl] That is a question you need to ask Cricket Australia," remarked Ajinkya Rahane in post-match conference.
"Cameron is currently rebuilding his bowling loads in India with a view to return in around 10-12 days' time. KKR has been communicated with and is fully aware of this information," the spokesperson added.
Also Read: PBKS vs GT IPL 2026 Toss Report: Shreyas Iyer Opts To Bowl; Star Player Returns After 3 Years
