Ever since the Punjab Kings (PBKS) have swooped in Shreyas Iyer for a whopping Rs 26.75 crore at the IPL mega auction 2025, their fortunes have changed drastically. A team that lingered in the second half of the table are now contenders in just a matter of a year. Once again, after the IPL 2026 mini auction, PBKS are touted to go deep into the tournament, considering the phenomenal squad they have got.
For the first time in a mini auction, PBKS had a little role to play. With just four slots available to fill, Punjab had more than Rs 11 crore. They hardly bid for a player in the first two hours of the auction and only jumped in when Cooper Connolly entered. Punjab Kings bought Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Vishal Nishad and Praveen Dubey, leaving themselves Rs 3.50 crore still with them.
PBKS: Shreyas Iyer to bat at 4?
PBKS had almost all the bases covered last season. This year, they just needed to replace Glenn Maxwell, who has retired from the IPL. Also, PBKS were left without Josh Inglis, who did well in the crunch games. Inglis, just a 45 minutes before the retention announcement, declared to PBKS that he will be available for just 4 games. Hence, PBKS released him. In an attempt to fill the void, Punjab signed Cooper Connolly for Rs 3 crore.
Although he isn’t a keeper and cannot bat lower down the order like Maxwell, what the southpaw provides is all-round skills in the top order. Previously, PBKS used Inglis at number three and Shreyas Iyer at four. Hence, it would be fantastic to slot in Connolly at three. Yes, it may make Punjab’s top order a bit inexperienced with Oriyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh at the top, but it also adds aggressiveness. Since 2024, no other player has scored more runs in the BBL than Connolly’s 637, which he has scored at 49 and 145.10. He is an able left-arm spinner as well.
Shreyas Iyer, who is nursing an injury currently, was part of PBKS’ auction table on December 16. Although he can be an anchor at number three, he is much more needed at number four. With Iyer being one of the best spin-hitters in the world, he can exploit this facet once again. In IPL 2025, Iyer made 214 runs at 53.5 and 176.85 while batting at two down for PBKS. Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis form the middle order before Shashank Singh and Harpreet Brar lengthens it.
Strongest Mumbai Indians Playing XII for IPL 2026
| S. No. | Player | Backup Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prabhsimran Singh (wk) | Vishnu Vinod (wk) |
| 2 | Priyansh Arya | Harnoor Pannu |
| 3 | Cooper Connolly✈️ | Mitchell Owen ✈️ |
| 4 | Shreyas Iyer (C) | Musheer Khan |
| 5 | Nehal Wadhera | |
| 6 | Marcus Stoinis ✈️ | Azmatullah Omarzai ✈️ |
| 7 | Shashank Singh | Pyala Avinash |
| 8 | Harpreet Brar | Suryansh Shedge |
| 9 | Marco Jansen✈️ | Xavier Bartlett ✈️ |
| 10 | Lockie Ferguson✈️ | Ben Dwarshuis✈️ |
| 11 | Arshdeep Singh | Vyshak Vijaykumar/Yash Thakur |
| 12 (Impact Sub) | Yuzvendra Chahal | Vishal Nishad/Praveen Dubey |
Arshdeep Singh & Marco Jansen to do heavy lifting
After a power-packed batting lineup, Punjab’s bowling is no less. Among pacers, both Marco Jansen and Arshdeep Singh are certain starters. Jansen at nine provides depth in batting as well, while he is a genuine wicket-taker with the new ball. Arshdeep is obviously a no-brainer, with him being the highest wicket-taker in Indian T20I cricket.
PBKS interestingly have another spot for an overseas pacer. The options are aplenty as well but Lockie Ferguson is the best choice, as the Kiwi tormentor is an enforcer in the middle overs. With him being in the side, talented Indian pacers like Yash Thakur and Vijaykumar Vyshak have to miss out. The two spinners in the XII are Harpreet Brar, who also can wield a willow, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Chahal is the leading wicket-taker in IPL history with 221 wickets in 172 innings.
Full PBKS squad for IPL 2026
Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyala Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Vishnu Vinod, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Praveen Dubey, Vishal Nishad
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