Punjab Kings batter Cooper Connolly says head coach Ricky Ponting told him to dominate while he looked forward to learning from captain Shreyas Iyer on his IPL debut against Gujarat Titans. Connolly struck a match-winning 72 not out (44 balls; 5 fours, 5 sixes) in his maiden IPL outing as Punjab Kings made a winning start to IPL 2026 here on Tuesday. "I woke up in the morning with a little bit of nerves, which I was really happy about. I was really looking forward to getting out there and playing my part the best I can," Connolly told JioStar. "Ricky Ponting just kept me calm and collected. He told me to play my game, go out there and dominate. It was a nice team performance. We were very strong with the ball and made things easier for ourselves."

"I was looking forward to spending time out in the middle with Shreyas Iyer and just sort of picking his brains a little bit. He's a world-class player. I've played a little bit of cricket with (against) him for Australia A and Australia. He is a great player for a reason, and hopefully, I can learn as much as I can," he added. The 22-year-old said he looks up to former Australia and PBKS player Shaun Marsh as his idol. "It was a nice moment when I got picked up. Shaun Marsh was the first person I spoke to about it and he gave me some good words," Connolly said.