Vibe in one line:

Strong getting stronger, aspiring to be the strongest

What's changed in 2026

Punjab Kings didn't take too much work to the auction table late last year, picking only three players to beef up the dominant squad that had reached the final last season. They strengthened their spin reserves, picking all-rounder Cooper Connolly as replacement for Josh Inglis, apart from leggies Praveen Dubey and Vishal Nishad. It is unlikely that any of them would have a role to play in the XII, but they provide adequate support to the only departments that didn't have enough backups.

Team Identity

For a team that, for more than a decade and a half, struggled to shed its identity of being self-destructive, pretty on paper and underwhelming on the field, found its promise eventually in 2025 - standing up in different situations, and seizing close contests instead of slipping up at critical moments. They displayed the sting to fight and defend low scores as well as chase down big totals with equal conviction, be destructive yet not mindless.

The Ponting-Iyer combine have successfully managed to replicate their partnership from the Delhi Capitals days in yet another setup that doesn't necessarily need big faces and stars to deliver consistent and powerful performances. They amassed eight 200-plus totals, and at a pace outmatched by only Gujarat Titans, despite having only three players with international experience in their top-seven.

Core XII (if all fit)

Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Mitch Owen, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

With the likes of Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Harnoor Singh and Vishnu Vinod there are ample strong backups for the Indian core, to go with a plethora of all-round options in the overseas contingent.

Injury/Availability Watch

Lockie Ferguson won't be available for the early part of the tournament as he will be home for the birth of his child. His date of joining is uncertain, but with at least eight other pace options in the squad, his absence wouldn't leave PBKS fretting.

What do they do better than most

They do not depend on any specific player or period of play to dominate. There is role clarity, and each player is able to play his specific part. That dominance starts with the young opening combination of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh and runs all the way through. With Marco Jansen slated to bat at No 8, there is ample depth and firepower in the line-up to be on the attack at all times. Moreover, there are very few players in the side who don't have able backups to cover up for their absence or loss of form.

A player that changes their ceiling

Shreyas Iyer

Last season, no batter in the league scored more runs at a higher strike rate than Iyer's 604 runs at 175.05. His improved game against pace, dominance against spin, and the ability to control the tempo after quick starts or early loss, makes him a vital cog in the middle order, especially since he is the only Indian batter with international experience in the squad.

More importantly, in a side bereft of big stars, Iyer's captaincy plays an instrumental role. He is the only captain in the history of IPL to guide three teams to the final with a success rate of 58.69 over the last five seasons, better than even the likes of Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni. Whether DC, KKR or PBKS, teams led by him have repeatedly come out on the positive side under pressure situations.

What could trip them up

Over-reliance on the openers

Last season, Prabsimran and Arya together amassed 1024 runs, at a combined strike rate of 168.69, forging the second-most destructive opening partnership in the competition. They led the way of the domestic Indian batting core, which hammered more runs than any other team last season, at a clip outpaced by none of their domestic Indian counterparts.

While PBKS would love for them to continue their dominant run this season as well, they would be aware that neither of them have quite set the stage on fire in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season, apart from a couple of standout performances.

For a team that relies heavily on its Indian batting imports, their performances at the top are all the more important since none of the uncapped Indian batters that follow - Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh or even Suryansh Shedge - have had impressive domestic seasons.

The one to watch

Nehal Wadhera

The southpaw is one of only two left-handed options in the middle order for PBKS - the other being his state-mate Harnoor Singh. He provides a much-needed variety to counter matchups and is a destructive option against spinners in the middle overs. However, unlike Harnoor, Wadhera did not enjoy a fruitful season of Syed Mushtaq Ali, and has now started exploring newer areas in his batting. Moreover, he has also been working on his spin bowling to add value to the team. If the team puts their trust on him, his contribution will be critical to PBKS' plans of ensuring a seamless attack from start to the end.

One game to circle

The opening game against Gujarat Titans

For all their recent success, PBKS have won only five out of their last 21 home games. Even last season, in the New Chandigarh Stadium, they managed to win only two out of five matches, losing only two out of 11 games on the road. They would want to reverse their fortunes in their primary home ground this season, and a good start to kickstart the campaign would be one they would be most looking forward to.