Last Updated on 4 weeks ago by Charbel Coorey

Under the leadership of Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer, Punjab Kings (PBKS) reached the 2025 final and will be aiming to go one better in 2026. The franchise qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2014, finishing top of the table and then narrowly losing the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

PBKS enter IPL 2026 with a settled core. They look strong once again, and will be seeking a smooth start to campaign where there will be plenty of expectation.

PBKS possible 11 for IPL 2026: Who will be the overseas players?

1. Priyansh Arya, 2. Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 3. Shreyas Iyer (c), 4. Nehal Wadhera, 5. Cooper Connolly/Azmatullah Omarzai (OS), 6. Marcus Stoinis (OS), 7. Shashank Singh, 8. Marco Jansen (OS), 9. Harpreet Brar, 10. Arshdeep Singh, 11. Xavier Bartlett (OS), 12. Yuzvendra Chahal.

New recruit Cooper Connolly could slot in the middle order. The quality Azmatullah Omarzai is also an option for that role, but it will be interesting to see whether PBKS opt for the spin-bowling all-round option.

Ricky Ponting is a big fan of Marcus Stoinis, who will likely take one of the overseas slots alongside Marco Jansen and potentially Xavier Bartlett with Lockie Ferguson to miss a portion of the season for family reasons.

“Just had a wee son, trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help the wife out,” Ferguson said earlier this month, as quoted by ESPN. “I’ll have a few weeks off after this, before sort of heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter.”

Despite the Ferguson setback, there is a lot to like about PBKS this season. They bat deep and have plenty of bowling options. Shreyas Iyer (604 runs), Prabhsimran Singh (549 runs) and Priyansh Arya (475 runs) all had impactful seasons in 2025, and will be looking to set the tone once again in 2026.

Shreyas Iyer’s team will start their campaign against fellow playoff contenders Gujarat Titans at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium at Mullanpur on March 30. They will then travel to Chennai for a blockbuster against CSK on Wednesday April 3.