IPL 2026: Young Australian batter Cooper Connolly continued his impressive rise in the Indian Premier League by surpassing Sanath Jayasuriya for the most sixes hit in a debut IPL season. The Punjab Kings youngster reached the milestone during PBKS’ clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at home.
Connolly played another fearless knock, scoring 37 off just 22 deliveries. His innings included three boundaries and three sixes at a strike rate of 168.18. Though PBKS were under pressure after losing early wickets in a steep chase of 223, the left-hander briefly revived hopes with his attacking approach.
Cooper Connolly this season
The Australian has been one of the standout performers for Punjab this season. In 12 innings, Connolly has piled up 473 runs at an average of 47.30 and a strike rate above 162. He has already registered a century and two half-centuries, with an unbeaten 107 being his highest score. Most notably, he now has 32 sixes this season, overtaking Jayasuriya’s previous debut-season tally of 31 maximums set in the inaugural 2008 edition for Mumbai Indians.
Back in 2008, Jayasuriya enjoyed a memorable campaign for Mumbai, scoring 514 runs in 14 matches at an average of 42.83 and an explosive strike rate of 166.34. The Sri Lankan great also smashed a century and two fifties during that season.
In the match itself, Punjab Kings chose to bowl first after winning the toss. Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost Jacob Bethell early for 11, but Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal steadied the innings with a 76-run partnership. Kohli continued his excellent form with a fluent 58 from 37 balls, striking four fours and three sixes.
Paddikal and Venkatesh’s destructive innings
Padikkal chipped in with a brisk 45 off 25 deliveries before Venkatesh Iyer shifted gears in the latter half of the innings. Iyer remained unbeaten on 73 from 40 balls, smashing eight fours and four sixes. Tim David also provided a late flourish with a quick 28 off 12 balls as RCB posted a formidable 222/4 in 20 overs.For Punjab Kings, Harpreet Brar was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/35.
Chasing a huge total, PBKS suffered an early collapse as Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya and captain Shreyas Iyer departed with only 19 runs on the board. Connolly and Suryansh Shedge tried to stabilise the innings, but Punjab slipped to 93/5 inside 10 overs.
Later, Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh launched a spirited fightback with a 67-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Stoinis made 37 from 25 balls, while Shashank kept PBKS alive with an aggressive 56 off 27 deliveries that included four fours and four sixes.Despite the late resistance, RCB held their nerve in the closing stages and restricted Punjab Kings to 199/8, sealing a 23-run victory.
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