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Cooper Connolly etched his name in the record books of the Indian Premier League 2026 after smashing the youngest overseas batter's century in the competition.

 

The young PBKS batter completed the feat in his stupendous unbeaten 107 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday.

 

Fighting a tall chase of 236 runs, the left-handed batter played an unbeaten 107 off 59 balls that included seven boundaries and eight sixes. Despite his heroic effort, PBKS fell short by 33 runs and Sunrisers Hyderabad jumped to the top of the IPL 2026 points table.

 

At just 22 years and 257 days, Connolly registered his name in history book by surpassing Quinton de Kock, who had registered an IPL hundred at the age of 23 years and 122 days for Delhi Daredevils against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2016.

 

Connolly Breaks Long-Standing IPL Record

 

Connolly became the youngest overseas batter to score an IPL century. With his sensational knock against SRH, he surpassed Quinton de Kock's long-standing record.

 

Youngest Overseas Batter to Score IPL Century

 

• 22y 257d - Cooper Connolly (PBKS) vs SRH, 2026
• 23y 122d - Quinton de Kock (DD) vs RCB, 2016
• 23y 153d - David Warner (DD) vs KKR, 2010
• 23y 330d - David Miller (KXIP) vs RCB, 2013
• 23y 352d - Cameron Green (MI) vs SRH, 2023

 

The knock by Connolly was the second by a PBKS batter under the age of 22 to score an IPL hundred, following Prabhsimran Singh.

 

His eight sixes are the most by a PBKS batter under the age of 22.

 

Also Read | 'Bit of a Virus': Ricky Ponting Reacts Mid-Match as Shashank Singh Drops Easy Catch vs SRH

 

SRH Bowlers Dominate PBKS Chase

 

The Punjab Kings had a dreadful start in their chase. Priyansh Arya was removed in the first over for one, following that it was Nitish Kumar Reddy taking Prabhsimran Singh cheaply.

 

The captain Shreyas Iyer could not do too much and was removed by Eshan Malinga for five, it had looked like Punjab would be bowled out of the contest at 23/3 in just over three overs.

 

However, with all that pressure, Connolly was in attacking mode against the SRH bowlers and keeping his side in the game. He was given good company with Marcus Stoinis making 28 from 14 balls, and Suryansh Shedge scoring 25 from 17 balls. There were also some contributions with the bat from Marco Jansen scoring 19 runs.

 

It did turn out to be a maiden century in the IPL for Connolly as it was completed in just 57 balls, however the Punjab Kings did still fall short as they finished on 202/7.

 

The win means that the Sunrisers Hyderabad rise to 14 points from 11 games and now sit at the top after three defeats in a row for the Punjab Kings.