Young Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly was bought by the Punjab Kings for Rs 3 crore at the mini-auction earlier this month. Known for his aggressive batting style, sharp fielding, and handy left-arm spin, he is all set to play his maiden IPL season.

During a virtual media interaction, Connolly said, “No, there was no kind of communication between me and him (Ponting) before the auction. I was quite nervous and didn’t know which team was going to bid for me. I was just sitting there and watching the auction. So, I feel quite privileged to be picked by PBKS and am really looking forward to playing for them.”

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Connolly also said that he is looking forward to working closely with Australia’s World Cup-winning captain, Ricky Ponting, as well.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about him. I haven’t done a lot of work with him just yet. So, I’m looking forward to spending some time with him and sort of doing some tweaks to my batting and seeing what his thoughts are on it.” he said.

“Everyone goes to this tournament (IPL) because it’s probably going to be the most competitive. And also looking forward to getting over there and challenging myself against some of the best bowlers in the world,” Cooper Connolly concluded. “Yeah, it’s very different to Australia. We’ve obviously got some fast, bouncy wickets. But that challenge of playing spin is a challenge that is tough for everyone.”