Runners up of the 2025 IPL, Punjab Kings were one of the most consistent sides in the previous edition. Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, they were outstanding throughout the tournament and fell short in the Final where they suffered a defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Punjab Kings topped the table in the group stage but could not get over the line in the Final. The 2026 IPL is set to begin later this week and Punjab Kings are still eyeing for their maiden IPL title and will be hoping that this will be their season. They have retained captain Shreyas Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting and have backed them to do the job.
Ahead of the IPL auctions Punjab Kings retained most of their players from last year. A few notable omissions were Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis. Going into the auction they had one of the lowest purses but they decided to pick players who might have gone under the radar. Punjab Kings have retained most of their players from last season and so the strength looks fine.
In the auction, Punjab Kings brought Cooper Conolly and Ben Dwarshius in the team and the Australian duo are set to add more depth and fire power to the squad. Another addition was spinners Vishal and Pravin Dubey. Overall, Punjab Kings have made a few changes while keeping most of their core same for this year.
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Punjab Kings look a very balanced squad and they have all their bases covered. Their starting 11 will likely be similar to the one last year where they reached the Final and a few different faces like Cooper Connolly will be in action for the upcoming season. They have a very strong batting line up and pacers. One area where they could be found out is the absence of quality off-spinners and a specialist death bowler.
