Young Australian star Cooper Connolly etched his name into the IPL record books with a stunning maiden century for Punjab Kings.
The 22-year-old became the youngest overseas player to score an IPL hundred after smashing an unbeaten 107 off 59 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Connolly beat the decade-old record previously held by South Africa’s Quinton de Kock by 230 days.
Batting at No 3, Connolly struck seven fours and eight sixes in a fearless innings that surpassed
De Kock who was 23 years and 122 days when he scored a century for Delhi Daredevils back in 2016.
That special feeling ft. Cooper Connolly 🥳
An emphatic way to reach his maiden #TATAIPL hundred 💯
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/8L0gAuxW78#KhelBindaas | #SRHvPBKS pic.twitter.com/rdMmmWQzln
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 6, 2026
Despite the left-hander’s heroics, Punjab still fell 33 runs short in their chase of 236 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Sunrisers Hyderabad had earlier piled up 235-4 after explosive starts from Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head before South African star Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan combined in an important 88-run partnership.
Klaasen continued his fine form with 69, while Kishan added 55 as Hyderabad moved to the top of the IPL standings.
Connolly’s breakthrough season continues to gather momentum after being recruited by Punjab at the request of coach Ricky Ponting.
The Perth Scorchers star now has 377 runs in the tournament at an average of 53.85 and a strike rate of 171.36. He sits just outside the top 10 runscorers in the IPL this season.
Punjab’s defeat was their third straight loss as their search for a maiden IPL title continues.
Youngest overseas batters to score IPL century:
- 22y 257d Cooper Connolly (PBKS) vs SRH, Hyderabad, 2026
- 23y 122d – Quinton de Kock (DD) vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2016
- 23y 153d – David Warner (DD) vs KKR, Delhi, 2010
- 23y 330d – David Miller (KXIP) vs RCB, Mohali, 2013
- 23y 352d – Cameron Green (MI) vs SRH, Wankhede, 2023
Photo: Priyanshu Singh/Reuters
