Punjab Kings have a solid Indian core for IPL 2026.
A major change Punjab Kings (PBKS) made in their modus operandi since last year has been their investment in quality Indian players and forming an XI around them. While the Australian influence in overseas recruitment has been palpable, PBKS have still assembled a top Indian set, which has a nice blend of young and experienced players.
The runners-up of the last season can afford to go with as many as eight Indian players and three overseas stars in the IPL 2026 playing XI. From the last season, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran are set to open again, while the captain Shreyas Iyer might move to No.3 after Josh Inglis’ departure.
Nehal Wadhera will bat at No.4, followed by Shashank Singh, who has shown tremendous skills against pace and spin in the recent couple of seasons. He can also be flexible with his batting position and might be promoted or demoted based on the situation.
Marcus Stoinis, a pace-bowling all-rounder, will take the No.6 slot and will be the first overseas in the batting lineup. Another pace-bowling all-rounder, Marco Jansen, will be the second overseas, while the pacer Lockie Ferguson should be the third foreign player.
The remaining three slots in Punjab Kings’ playing XI should be taken by all Indians – Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Brar has always been a quality defensive spinner and will work well with an attacking tweaker, Chahal.
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Additionally, he provides more batting cushion in an already tremendous batting depth, where Jansen bats at No.7. The left-arm spinner’s presence means the likes of Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, and Azmatullah Omarzai might not be required.
Punjab Kings already have Stoinis and Jansen as pace-bowling all-rounders, so they might not need Omarzai or Owen, even though both have improved massively as bowlers. Meanwhile, Connolly only plays if Brar sits out of the XI, but the latter has been a proven performer and brings better defensive skills for Indian pitches.
While Connolly showed improved bowling returns in BBL 2025/26, his craft might need further honing to stand up to quality spin batters on flat decks. His batting adds good value, but Punjab Kings already have enough depth and firepower in this department, and No.8 might be too low for Cooper Connolly.
Punjab Kings will bring in a pacer as an impact player on most occasions, unless the pitch suits spinners massively. Like last year, Vijaykumar Vyshak can be that extra pacer, who will bowl in the middle and death overs.
In IPL 2025, Vyshak showed encouraging control over his yorkers, and his over construction was impressive despite bowling tough overs. With Arshdeep Singh taking the new ball and Lockie Ferguson finishing the powerplay, Vyshak can be used in the second half of the innings.
Ferguson can also bowl hard lengths, while Arshdeep brings proven yorker and slower-ball expertise in slog overs. So, Vyshak’s presence will allow PBKS to optimise the two main pacers, and he will take the other overs once the ball gets old.
They also have Yash Thakur, who has been in terrific form recently and performed exceedingly well in domestic cricket. But Vijaykumar Vyshak might be more suited to flat surfaces, especially since he has the pace and can bowl those fuller lengths into the blockhole.
Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Player: Vijaykumar Vyshak
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