Punjab Kings made crucial signings at IPL 2026 auction.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) made minimal changes to their overall structure ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, and rightly so. They had a settled team, with most bases covered, last season, and a few players underperformed during their run to the final. Before the auction, PBKS left out only five players and went with limited slots to fill.
They bought four players in the auction, two of whom were overseas – Cooper Connolly and Ben Dwarshuis. While Australian bias remains, PBKS had their reasons for these two players, as they fit perfectly into the setup. Both have improved massively, with Connolly touted as a big potential with long-term investment value.
Punjab Kings bought Cooper Connolly for INR 3 crore at the IPL 2026 auction, aiming to replace Glenn Maxwell. Connolly is a left-arm spinner who can bowl in the powerplay and middle overs. Additionally, he brings a superior pace-hitting game and can be flexible with his batting positions.
In the recently concluded Big Bash League (BBL) 2025/26, he was used several times in the first four overs, which are field restrictions, and was among the wickets and economical. Connolly took six wickets at 10.33 runs apiece and conceded 6.88 runs per over in the powerplay. Then, he also bowled in the middle and death overs, doing exceptionally well across phases.
As a batter, Cooper Connolly can be used as a floater, even though his primary strength remains whacking pace. He mostly batted at No.3 for Perth Scorchers, where his batting returns were poor, but his value will be immense on flat IPL surfaces. The southpaw will also bring the LHB dimension to the unit.
All in all, his acquisition was to replace Glenn Maxwell, who acted as a matchup bowler and brought superior skills in the middle order. PBKS also released Josh Inglis, meaning Connolly can bat at No.3, followed by the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, and Shashank Singh. So, he will likely start in the XI, along with Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, and Lockie Ferguson.
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Ben Dwarshuis was another Australian pick who will likely act as a backup for Marco Jansen, who will be Punjab Kings’ first-choice left-arm pacer with some batting value. Dwarshuis has improved massively in two crucial aspects: death-over bowling and lower-order hitting. He has also gained ample exposure from being with the Australian team lately.
He can move the new ball and specialises in bringing wickets upfront. However, Dwarshuis has shown ample control over his yorkers and can bowl a few slower ones to remain valuable at the death. The only issue is that IPL decks are flat, and the margin of error will be minimal for him.
As a batter, Ben Dwarshuis has struck at 166.28 and hit a boundary every 4.86 in the last four overs since 2025. His strike rate and balls-per-boundary ratio against pace stand at 157.14 and 5.11, respectively, in this duration. So, his batting credentials have definitely surged and will add batting depth in the lower order.
Still, he will serve as a backup, with his only chance coming if Jansen doesn’t play. Punjab Kings can also opt for Azmatullah Omarzai, who also provides new-ball value and brings better batting skills than Dwarshuis. Overall, PBKS will have plenty of options to choose from, and this is the best version of Ben Dwarshuis, so they won’t mind giving him chances at some stage.
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