Iyer at 3, Aussie star in; Arshdeep to lead pace attack: Punjab Kings' strongest XI for IPL 2026 

Punjab Kings' strongest XI for IPL 2026. [Source - IPL,AFP]

The IPL 2026 mini auction concluded on Tuesday with Punjab Kings adopting a quiet, calculated approach, signing just four players to complete their squad. The standout move was securing exciting Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly for INR 3 crore.

They also added Australian left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis, while strengthening domestic depth with mystery spinner Vishal Nishad and uncapped leg-spinner Pravin Dubey, rounding off a compact and purposeful auction strategy.

Punjab Kings IPL 2026 retention list

Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Priyansh Arya, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlett and Pyla Avinash.

Punjab Kings IPL 2026 auction buys

Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Pravin Dubey and Vishal Nishad.

Punjab Kings IPL 2026 full squad

Note: (*) denotes players bought at the IPL 2026 auction

As Punjab Kings have finalised their squad, let's analyse and find out their best possible playing combination for IPL 2026 season.

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Top-order: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer

Table - PBKS' top-order in IPL 2025

PBKS’ best top-order combination will be with Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer because -

• Settled opening pair: Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya had a highly productive IPL 2025 as the duo combined for over a thousand runs in the season, striking at a strike-rate of 168.69.
• Powerplay dominance: Priyansh Arya (SR 176.15) and Prabhsimran Singh (SR 154.77) turned the powerplay into a scoring zone, combining for nearly 400 runs inside the first six overs last season.
• Stability at No. 3: With Josh Inglis released, Shreyas Iyer is expected to return to the No. 3 position, a role he began IPL 2025 in before the mid-season shuffle.
• Iyer’s No. 3 elite numbers: At one down in 2025, Iyer enjoyed a highly successful run, scoring 360 runs at an average of 51.42 and a blistering strike rate of 180.90, including four fifties.

Middle-order: Cooper Connolly, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis

Punjab Kings 2026 middle order looks formidable with Cooper Connolly, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis.

New recruit Cooper Connolly should start at 4

Table - Cooper Connolly's performance in T20s at number 4

• Ideal No. 4 option: The left-handed Cooper Connolly has enjoyed batting at number four in his short T20 career, making him a middle-order asset PBKS should firmly lock into that role.
• Middle-overs value: Connolly counters both spin and pace effectively. He has been striking at 145.1 in the middle overs in T20s this year (2025) while adding left-right balance and flexibility in the middle-order.

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Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis to continue next

Table - PBKS middle-order in IPL 2025

• Middle-order pillars: Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh are set to continue in PBKS’ middle order after finishing as the top two run-scorers in PBKS’ middle-order last season.
• Match-up based usage: Nehal and Shashank's entry points are expected to remain flexible and decided by match situations and bowling match-ups, with Nehal largely operating at No. 5 (11 innings, SR 134.93) and Shashank providing consistency in the late overs.
• Death-overs firepower: Marcus Stoinis adds elite finishing muscle, striking at a staggering 285.71 in the death overs (100 runs last season), complemented by Shashank Singh’s struck at 213.33 strike rate in the late overs last season.

Lower-order: Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson and Yuzvendra Chahal

Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson and Marco Jansen are set to form Punjab Kings’ pace attack, with Yuzvendra Chahal leading the spin department alongside Harpreet Brar in their strongest XI next season.

Table - Punjab Kings' bowlers in IPL 2025

• Powerplay & death specialist: Arshdeep Singh continues to be Punjab’s strike bowler, who led the powerplay with 8 wickets (most for PBKS) and dominated with 13 death-overs wickets, the most by any bowler last season.
• Middle-overs control: Jansen expected to act as the middle-overs enforcer, working in tandem with Yuzvendra Chahal (9 wickets in middle-overs last season)as the genuine wicket-taker and Harpreet Brar’s (7.47 RPO in middle-overs last season) tight lines to dry up runs and force errors.
• Express pace x-factor: Lockie Ferguson, who missed major part of the 2025 season due to injury, adds raw pace, expected to bowl “absolute gas” through the middle overs and at the death alongside Arshdeep.

Punjab Kings' strongest playing XI for IPL 2026 (including impact player)

Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Cooper Connolly, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, and Arshdeep Singh.

Other probable impact player choices

Yash Thakur, Vishal Nishad, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Musheer Khan.

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