Punjab Kings will need to change their plans now.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) have suffered a massive blow, as their all-rounder Cooper Connolly might not be fit enough to bowl in IPL 2026. According to ESPNcricinfo, Connolly has a suspected stress fracture in the back, which might restrict him to playing as a batter only.
PBKS procured him for INR 3 crore at the IPL 2026 auction, expecting him to play Glenn Maxwell’s role. However, recent reports confirm that Connolly might play as a specialist batter, which massively reduces his value.
He has improved significantly as a bowler and showed tremendous skills in BBL 2025/26, where he bowled effectively in the powerplay and middle overs. Cooper Connolly snared 15 wickets at 14.93 runs apiece and an economy rate of 6.40 in 11 outings, with a best of 3/23.
There was a possibility of him taking the fourth overseas slot, along with Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, and Lockie Ferguson (when available), in Punjab Kings playing XI this season. It remains to be seen whether PBKS can afford to play him solely as a batter in the current setup.
A major reason Punjab Kings bought Cooper Connolly despite his limited exposure was the lack of a solid spin-bowling all-rounder in the squad. They have Musheer Khan, whose bowling skills need a lot of work for flat decks, while Praveen Dubey and Harpreet Brar are primarily spinners with limited batting value.
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Hence, Cooper Connolly could have played in the XI as an all-rounder to support pace-bowling all-rounders like Stoinis and Jansen. Unfortunately, PBKS might not use him as a batter alone, since they have plenty of specialist batters for the middle order.
Punjab Kings’ spin resources are already thin on quality and options, and Connolly’s injury adds to those concerns further. Now, they might either prefer a specialist batter or a pace-bowling all-rounder like Mitchell Owen to give themselves more flexibility.
Their recent philosophy has been to get as many multi-dimensional players as possible, as evidenced by the acquisition of Cooper Connolly himself. Still, the Australian player might get opportunities as a batter alone if things don’t go too well in the initial stages of IPL 2026, but PBKS’ plans might have taken a major hit with this update.
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