Barring the final, almost everything went right for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). This means unlike teams like Chennai Super Kings, they won’t have to make bucketload of changes. Most of Punjab’s bases are covered. But irrespective, they’ll have to release at least 2 foreign players come the IPL 2026 auction.
That’s because as of now, they have 10 overseas players in their squad due to injuries. And only 8 are allowed. So, they must release two foreigners at the bare minimum. But considering the performance or rather non-performance, they should release two more players.
4 players Punjab Kings should release before IPL 2026 auction
| Player | Attribute | Price | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuzvendra Chahal | Spinner | Rs 18 crore | 16 wickets (14 matches, 9.55 Economy) |
Mitchell Owen |
Batter | Rs 3 crore | 0 runs (1 match) |
| Xavier Bartlett |
Fast bowler | Rs 80 lakh | 2 wickets (4 matches, 9.60 Economy) |
| Yash Thakur | Fast bowler | Rs 1.60 crore | 1 wicket (2 matches, 12.15 Economy) |
Why Chahal?
16 wickets isn’t that bad? Well, on paper it isn’t. Chahal played just 5 matches against the teams that qualified for the IPL Playoffs. In these games, he got 5 wickets at 31.40. In only three of these matches, Chahal bowled his full quota. And went for over 35 runs each time. Considering that he was paid Rs 18 crore, that’s just not good enough. Harpreet Brar, who PBKS paid just Rs 1.50 crore, took 10 wickets in 8 matches and was better in all statistical comparisons.
Even in the IPL 2025 Final, he wasn’t among the top three bowlers for PBKS. Despite being the highest wicket-taker in the IPL, he never bowled that way. Instead of being the best bowler on the team, he was often a liability for Shreyas Iyer, with the ball and in the field.
Why not Glenn Maxwell?
The reason why Maxwell isn’t mentioned is due to his price tag of Rs 4.20. Yes, his performance was abysmal but one can’t get a more talented player at such a price in the auction. And if given a chance, he’ll win you a couple of matches in a season. Also, relieving Chahal would give them enough money to go after a big-name player anyway.
Punjab Kings squad before IPL 2026
Batters: Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Pyla Avinash, Priyansh Arya, Harnoor Singh Pannu, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod (wk), Mitchell Owen
All-rounders: Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge
Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Kuldeep Sen, Xavier Bartlett, Praveen Dubey, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson
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