Cooper Connolly Flies Back Home Mid-IPL 2026, PBKS Await Scan Results Ahead Of DC Clash

Punjab Kings all-rounder Cooper Connolly has travelled back to Australia to get his back checked, but he is expected to return soon and rejoin the team before their next IPL 2026 match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.

There was some confusion earlier when Connolly shared an Instagram story from Perth, which made fans wonder why he had left. He didn’t give any details at that time, but it has now been confirmed that he travelled for medical scans. Cricket Australia had already advised him to play only as a batter until the end of April due to his back issue.

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Why Cooper Connolly travel back to Australia?

Connolly has gone for scans similar to what Pat Cummins had done earlier. The results will help both Cricket Australia and the Punjab Kings management understand whether he will be able to bowl later in the tournament. He is likely to be back with the squad in New Delhi very soon as quoted by news agency IANS.

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Cooper Connolly's IPL 2026 performance

Connolly had entered the IPL with this back problem, which is why he hasn’t been able to bowl his left-arm spin. Even then, he has done really well with the bat. The 22-year-old has scored 223 runs in six matches so far.

One of his best performances came against Lucknow Super Giants, where he scored 87 off 46 balls. In that match, he also shared a big 182-run partnership with Priyansh Arya, helping Punjab Kings win comfortably by 54 runs in New Chandigarh.

How PBKS pick Cooper Connolly?

Connolly was bought by Punjab Kings for INR 3 crore in the IPL 2026 mini-auction held in Abu Dhabi last year. The team, led by Shreyas Iyer, is currently at the top of the points table with 11 points from six matches and is the only unbeaten side in the tournament so far.