Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings came close to their maiden IPL title in 2025 but lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final. Now the focus shifts to next season, and the Kings will be once again looking to mount a challenge for the IPL Trophy. In this article, we take a look at Punjab Kings (PBKS) confirmed XI for Indian Premier League 2026 season.
Punjab Kings managed to qualify for the IPL Final for the first time in 2025 since 2014. They dominated the league phase and finished top of the IPL 2025 points table with 9 wins. But they eventually lost the title decider to 2nd placed RCB in Ahmedabad.
Now, ahead of the new IPL 2026 season, the reshuffle has already begun before the IPL 2026 Auction. Punjab Kings, though, have held on to their core group of players from the 2025 season, easing their concerns for the auction.
ALSO READ: IPL 2026 All Teams Retained and Released Players List
Punjab Kings (PBKS) Confirmed XI for IPL 2026
But Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer would have come up with the best Punjab Kings (PBKS) Playing XI combination for the IPL 2026 campaign. In this article, we delve into the Punjab Kings (PBKS) Confirmed XI for IPL 2026 and see what work they have done in the IPL 2026 Auction.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) IPL 2026 Squad
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Shreyas Iyer | Batter |
| Nehal Wadhera | Batter |
| Vishnu Vinod | WK-Batter |
| Harnoor Pannu | Batter |
| Pyla Avinash | Batter |
| Prabhsimran Singh | WK-Batter |
| Shashank Singh | Batter |
| Marcus Stoinis | All-Rounder |
| Harpreet Brar | All-Rounder |
| Marco Jansen | All-Rounder |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | All-Rounder |
| Priyansh Arya | All-Rounder |
| Musheer Khan | All-Rounder |
| Suryansh Shedge | All-Rounder |
| Mitch Owen | Batter |
| Arshdeep Singh | Bowler |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | Bowler |
| Vyshak Vijaykumar | Bowler |
| Yash Thakur | Bowler |
| Xavier Bartlett | Bowler |
PBKS Top-Order IPL 2026
The Punjab Kings’ top order in the IPL 2026 will be explosive, as they have retained both of their opening batters from the 2025 season.
Local Punjabi batter Prabhsimran Singh had a strike rate of 160.53, while his opening partner, Priyansh Arya, had a strike rate of 179.25 in his debut IPL season in 2025 and scored 475 runs.
But they might have to look at options for number 3 in the IPL 2026 Auction. Australian batter Josh Inglis was mostly deployed as the number three batter last season, but he has been released by the franchise.
For that slot, the Kings could maybe look at Rachin Ravindra as an option. The Kiwi batter has been released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He likes to play according to the situation and has the ability to keep the attacking intensity just like Inglis did last season.
The other options PBKS might look to add to number 3 in the Punjab Kings (PBKS) Confirmed XI for Indian Premier League 2026 would be the likes of Mark Chapman, Tim Seifert etc.
PBKS Middle-Order IPL 2026
Captain Shreyas Iyer is going to be the most dependable man in the PBKS middle-order in the IPL 2026 season. The Kings captain scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.07. He is an all-situation player who can anchor as well as be the aggressor.
Left-hand batter Nehal Wadhera meanwhile would add solidity in the middle. Nehal is a very calm, composed player who is equally adept against pace and spin, making him useful to build innings, but can also follow Punjab Kings’ attacking cricket philosophy.
Down the order, the duo of Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis would act as the finishers for the Kings. Shashank is known for class batting and ability to score at quick scoring rate.
Meanwhile, Australian all-rounder Stoinis uses his muscle power to dispatch the ball out of the park. He can also bowl medium-pace.
PBKS Bowlers IPL 2026
South African pacer Marco Jansen is going to be one of the member of the Punjab Kings’ lethal pace attack in the Punjab Kings (PBKS) Confirmed XI for IPL 2026. Jansen is a tall pacer and bowls a high-arm action which allows him to extract extra bounce from the surface. He is very good at using variations to trouble the batters.
Local Punjabi lad Arshdeep Singh will form the pace bowling duo with Jansen. Whereas the South African uses line and length, Arshdeep combines that with new ball swing and the ability to bowl yorkers in the death overs.
With two left-arm pacers, Yash Thakur will provide the right-arm bowling option. Thakur is known for his ability to swing the new ball and bowling at tight and controlled line and length, making him an ideal bowler after the powerplay overs.
IPL veteran Yuzvendra Chahal is an instant pick in the Punjab Kings (PBKS) Confirmed XI for Indian Premier League 2026. Chahal is the leading wicket-taker in IPL history and his known for his clever instinct and his ability to read opposition batters to restrain them.
PBKS Impact Player IPL 2026
Harpreet Brar would be the perfect option for PBKS impact player in the IPL 2026. He is not only an impact player just for substitution, but when he gets an opportunity to play in a game, he makes impact with the ball and bat. He is a heavy-hitter down the order and took 10 wickets in IPL 2025 bowling left-arm orthodox spin.
Punjab Kings IPL 2026 Confirmed Playing XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Rachin Ravindra, Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Impact Players: Harpreet Brar.
