Punjab Kings, last season’s runners-up, entered the IPL 2026 mini-auction under considerable financial restrictions. The management, with merely ₹ 11.50 crore left in the purse—the second-lowest among all the ten franchises—was compelled to implement a cautious strategy.
While the competitors were indulging in bidding wars, the Punjab table was silent for most of the session, hoping for the right moments to invest their small amount of money in making some particular areas of their squad stronger.
The franchise, however, made its moves during the same rounds that were accelerated. Their first acquisition was Australian batting all-rounder Cooper Connolly for ₹3 crore, who brought in the versatility of a left-handed batter along with his ability to bowl slow left-arm orthodox.
The next day, PBKS made their most costly purchase, signing fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis for ₹4.40 crores. These targeted additions were intended to give the team that had already demonstrated its strength the needed support.
The upcoming season is already highly anticipated after a historic 2025 campaign under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer. After an eleven-year drought, the team eventually broke their playoff curse and went all the way to the final.
Even though they faced a heartbreaking six-run defeat in the final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the season marked a significant comeback for them. With a firm core, the Kings will strive to achieve the same level of success in 2026.
Punjab Kings Team 2026:
FULL LIST OF PLAYERS BOUGHT BY PUNJAB KINGS AT IPL 2026 AUCTION:
Cooper Connolly (Rs 3 crore), Ben Dwarshuis (Rs 4.40 crore), Pravin Dubey (Rs 30 lakh), and Vishal Nishad (Rs 30 lakh).
RETAINED PLAYERS:
Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyala Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, and Vishnu Vinod.
RELEASED PLAYERS:
