April 1 (Reuters) - Cooper Connolly marked his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut by smashing an unbeaten 72 to guide Punjab Kings to a three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans on Tuesday, and the Australian all-rounder credited his turnaround in form to a mental reset.
The 22-year-old had struggled in recent months and managed to score just one run in three Twenty20 International innings during Australia's 3-0 series defeat by Pakistan this year.
At the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, he played in two games as Australia crashed out in the group stage, scoring three and 11.
"I had a couple of weeks at home, a refresh and reset, spent some time with family and friends," said Connolly, who was named player of the match.
"That was probably the point where I changed. It was just like, 'yeah, okay, I'm just going to reset, and I'm going to go into the IPL fresh.'"
Connolly's knock was crucial for Punjab as he combined with Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett in key partnerships to guide them out of trouble in the chase after they had lost four wickets for eight runs.
"To be honest, not a lot was said. It was sort of relaxed out there. We still felt like we were in a really good position to win the game. And, Marco was pretty calm, so was Xavier," he said.
Connolly hit five sixes and five fours, with Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer saying the Australian's shot-making was "surreal".
"He's got a great awareness as a player. I've seen him in the past as well, playing for Australia. He's got a great mindset and hopefully he continues with the same form," Iyer added.
Punjab, fourth in the IPL standings, next face Chennai Super Kings on Friday.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford )
