Punjab Kings walked into the mini-auction with barely any money. Their purse of Rs 11.50 crore was the second lowest among all ten teams. That forced them to stay super careful with every single bid.
But PBKS deserve credit for what they built last season. They reached the IPL 2025 final after waiting eleven whole years. Losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six runs still hurts badly.
Shreyas Iyer led the team through that incredible playoff run. The 2026 team builds on that momentum now moving forward. Punjab Kings kept most of their core players together smartly.
Cooper Connolly Becomes Key Signing
The biggest talking point from the auction was Cooper Connolly’s purchase. Punjab Kings grabbed the Australian left-hander for Rs 3 crore total. Kolkata Knight Riders tried getting him at his base price of Rs 2 crore.
But PBKS outbid KKR during the accelerated round successfully. Connolly brings serious all-round value with bat and ball together. His left-handed batting adds variety to the Players list nicely.
The Price paid for Connolly seems really fair honestly. His BBL performances this season backed up that investment completely. Punjab Kings made a smart Team decision picking him up.
Australian Duo Joins Squad
Ben Dwarshuis became the second Australian signing for the Punjab Kings. His Price of Rs 4.40 crore shows how much PBKS value him. The left-arm seamer brings genuine pace and swing bowling ability.
Having two Australians in the 2026 squad adds international quality. Both Connolly and Dwarshuis have serious franchise cricket experience already. The Players list now features players from multiple cricket leagues worldwide.
Indian players Pravin Dubey and Vishal Nishad joined for Rs 30 lakh each. Interestingly, Dubey was released before the auction happened initially. PBKS bought him back afterwards which shows they value his skills.
| Player Name | Price | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Shreyas Iyer (C) | ₹26.75 cr | Retained |
| Arshdeep Singh | ₹18 cr | Retained |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | ₹18 cr | Retained |
| Marcus Stoinis | ₹11 cr | Retained |
| Marco Jansen | ₹7 cr | Retained |
| Shashank Singh | ₹5.5 cr | Retained |
| Nehal Wadhera | ₹4.2 cr | Retained |
| Prabhsimran Singh | ₹4 cr | Retained |
| Priyansh Arya | ₹3.8 cr | Retained |
| Harpreet Brar | ₹1.5 cr | Retained |
| Lockie Ferguson | ₹2 cr | Retained |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | ₹2.4 cr | Retained |
| Vijaykumar Vyshak | ₹1.8 cr | Retained |
| Yash Thakur | ₹1.6 cr | Retained |
| Vishnu Vinod | ₹95 L | Retained |
| Xavier Bartlett | ₹80 L | Retained |
| Ben Dwarshuis | ₹4.4 cr | Auction |
| Cooper Connolly | ₹3 cr | Auction |
| Pravin Dubey | ₹30 L | Auction |
| Vishal Nishad | ₹30 L | Auction |
Released Players and Squad Changes
Glenn Maxwell got released after underperforming and getting injured last season. Josh Inglis also left the Punjab Kings setup this time. Aaron Hardie and Kuldeep Sen received their release papers too.
These departures created space for the new Players coming in. Every Team needs fresh blood mixed with proven performers always. The List of changes looks reasonable given their tight budget constraints.
Punjab Kings 2026 squad retains the winning mentality from last year. The core group that reached the finals stays together mostly. That chemistry and trust between Players becomes invaluable during tournaments.
The Price strategy worked perfectly for the Punjab Kings management team. Smart bidding with limited funds shows excellent planning skills. This Team has every reason to believe 2026 will be special.
