He is among the brightest young talents in world cricket.
The upcoming IPL 2026 auction will feature several players set to earn their first-ever contracts and make their debut next season. Among them might be Australia all-rounder Cooper Connolly, who has been one of the brightest talents in world cricket.
A spin-bowling all-rounder, Connolly has already given glimpses of his capabilities in the domestic and international arena and will surely get sold in the upcoming auction. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, the 22-year-old has expressed his wish to find a buyer and called it an “honour” to play in the cash-rich T20 league.
“I’ve put my name in for a reason. It would be a nice opportunity to go play there and compete with the best. Looking forward to sitting down and watching the auction. It would be a nice honour to go to the IPL. It’s exciting.”
Cooper Connolly has supreme skills, but what’s stood out in his early days is his temperament: he has shown nerves of steel under immense pressure by closing games for his teams with the bat in death overs. Take the 2nd ODI against India earlier: Australia kept losing wickets, but the all-rounder held one end and guided his team over the line in a tense chase.
Cooper Connolly is among those batters who are adept against spin and pace and can be flexible with his batting position. Hence, he can be used in the middle order or lower middle order, while his bowling is also more than handy.
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Teams that require such players in their primary XI are Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who have traded out Ravindra Jadeja, and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who only have Shahbaz Ahmed in this category and would want an upgrade. Other franchises that might be interested in Cooper Connolly are Punjab Kings (PBKS) due to the Ricky Ponting factor, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as Anukul Roy’s alternative, and Rajasthan Royals (RR) for more spin options to partner with Ravindra Jadeja.
Hence, the Australian all-rounder is expected to be in high demand, particularly given the limited options in this category and the needs of several teams. There’s also long-term investment value since Connolly is still young and will improve from here on with more exposure.
Teams don’t mind having such players in the squad, even if they don’t give immediate returns, and he should be on the radar. Cooper Connolly is a big talent, and the franchise investing early in him by securing a deal at the IPL 2026 auction might benefit in the long run.
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