PBKS in IPL 2026: Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings look for redemption after 2025 heartbreak; check predicted playing XI

Punjab Kings enter IPL 2026 as last season's runners-up, under head coach Ricky Ponting. After topping the league table in IPL 2025 with 9 wins and losing the final to RCB by just 6 runs, that heartbreak fuels everything this season.

Shreyas Iyer returns as captain after overcoming a serious spleen injury that cost him 7kg in body weight. He confirmed he had regained the weight. He is feeling stronger than ever, he said.

PBKS start their campaign against the Gujarat Titans on 31 March at the new Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur.

PBKS retained 21 players, released Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis and signed Cooper Connolly and Ben Dwarshuis at the mini-auction. The squad now has 25 players and looks settled.

All-Rounders: Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Musheer Khan, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Mitch Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Dasun Shanaka

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Lockie Ferguson, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Pravin Dubey, Vishal Nishad

Coaching: Ricky Ponting (Head Coach)

He scored a century against CSK last season and brings aggressive left-handed intent. It forces opposition captains to reshuffle their bowling plans from the very first ball.

Captain Shreyas Iyer bats at three to anchor the batting order. He enjoyed an exceptional IPL 2025 season, scoring 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07.

Nehal Wadhera at four has quietly established himself as a reliable young middle-order batter. He scored 369 runs in 16 matches in IPL 2025 with 21 sixes.

Marcus Stoinis provides serious all-round firepower at five. His ability to bat explosively and bowl medium pace gives PBKS a crucial advantage. The same goes for Marco Jansen and Azmatullah Omarzai, who can all bat and bowl.

Shashank Singh is the trusted finisher at seven. Over two seasons with PBKS, he has scored 704 runs in 31 matches at an impressive average of 47.13.

Marco Jansen at eight is PBKS's all-round overseas weapon. His knuckleball has grown into a dangerous variation. His batting gives the lineup crucial lower-order depth.

Harpreet Brar at nine is hard to score against on any surface. Yuzvendra Chahal leads the spin attack. He is India's most prolific IPL leg-spinner with 221 wickets in 174 matches.

Arshdeep Singh leads the pace attack as India's T20 death-bowling specialist. The Arshdeep-Jansen left-arm combination gives PBKS one of the most potent new-ball pairings in the tournament. Cooper Connolly or Vyshak Vijaykumar are the likely Impact Player options.