Mumbai: On the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, Punjab Kings shared a special video featuring co-owner Preity Zinta and Australian allrounder Cooper Connolly, in which the latter is seen chanting ‘Jai Bajrangbali’ at her request.
The video, recorded after Connolly guided Punjab Kings to a thrilling win over Gujarat Titans on Tuesday, shows Preity telling the Man-of-the-Match, “You might be born Australian, but now you’re Punjabi by choice. We have the Punjabi spirit. Today is your first game, and it was played on a Tuesday. Tuesday is Hanumanji’s day, the Indian God of strength and power.”
Preity then requests Connolly to chant ‘Jai Bajrangbali,’ which he repeats with a smile.
“That means you’ll always be strong, powerful, and protected. That’s your welcome into Punjab Kings,” Preity explains.
Watch the video here:
Connolly, 22, made a dream debut in the IPL, making an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls to pull Punjab Kings out of a tricky situation and hand them victory in the campaign opener.
Chasing 166, Punjab Kings slumped from 110/2 to 118/6. But young Connolly stuck to his task and stayed till the end to break Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans’ heart.
Connolly said he was a bit nervous before the match.
“I woke up in the morning with a little bit of nerves, which I was happy about, but I was really looking forward to getting out there and playing my best. Ricky Ponting kept me calm and told me to play my game and dominate. It was a good team performance. We were strong with the ball and made things easier for ourselves. It was a really good day for us,” Connolly said.
Punjab Kings will next face Chennai Super Kings on April 3 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.