4 Players Punjab Kings Will Retain For IPL 2026

The bond between the new captain, Shreyas Iyer, and their coach, Ricky Ponting, has taken the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the history books. After 11 years, they finally qualified for the playoffs after finishing as the runners-up of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014.

Coming into the season, there was huge pressure on Punjab, which signed Iyer as the new captain for a huge price of INR 26.75 crore. They also decided to pack the side with power hitters and overseas pacers besides bagging the premier Indian spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal. The plan was very simple to earn wickets in the middle overs.

Meanwhile, Punjab Kings are currently in the second position in the points table with eight victories in 12 group-stage encounters at a net run rate of +0.389. They started the campaign with five victories in seven group-stage encounters before getting three successive wins to qualify for the playoffs.

Shreyas led them from the front with runs in the middle order, while the young opener, Priyansh Arya, contributed with the bat aggressively inside the first six overs of the innings.

Here are the four players Punjab Kings will retain for IPL 2026

1. Shreyas Iyer

The Punjab Kings’ captain, Shreyas Iyer, is the second-leading run-getter of the franchise with 435 runs in 12 innings. He carried an average of 48.33 and a strike rate of 174.69, shouldering four half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 97 runs.

Also Read: Hosting IPL 2025 Playoffs In Chandigarh A Strong Statement To Pakistan By India- Report

Whenever the side was under pressure, Iyer would come and stabilize the ship before going berserk against the opponent bowling unit. Shreyas installed aggression inside the team, who would keep on nailing the boundaries despite losing wickets at the top.

On the other hand, his use of bowlers was also praiseworthy. The way he handled Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, and others during the low-score defense against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Chandigarh was superb.

Punjab Kings will surely look to retain the campaign-winning captain from the previous season.

2. Priyansh Arya

Arya came into the scene with six over-boundaries in one over during the Delhi Premier League T20. The southpaw displayed his aggression with the bat in the first six overs. However, that wasn’t his only quality with the bat. He could show resilience in holding one end.

Arya is the third-highest run-getter of the IPL 2025 for the Punjab Kings. The left-handed batter has smacked 356 runs in 12 innings at an average of just below 30 with a strike rate of 190.37, thanks to one century and one half-century at the best score of 103 runs.

It will be a smart decision from the franchise to invest in the youngster in the future.

3. Prabhsimran Singh

Very few batters are as successful as Prabhsimran Singh in the last three seasons of the IPL for the Punjab Kings. The right-handed batter has shown his knack for nailing the big shots in the power play, which, on many occasions, has put the franchise at the top of the game.

In the last two seasons, he has crossed the 330-run mark with a strike rate of more than 150. This year, he is the leading run-getter for the side with the help of 458 runs in 12 innings.

Prabhsimran has notched up four half-centuries at an average of 38.16 and a strike rate of 171.53, thanks to the best score of 91 runs.

Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah Gives A Huge Shock To BCCI Ahead Of India’s Tour To England

4. Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh is another left-arm pacer who has performed consistently for the Punjab side in the last few years. He has honed the skill of moving the new ball both ways and picking up wickets in the powerplay.

In 11 innings during the IPL 2025, Arshdeep has earned 16 scalps at an average of 21.93. His economy rate of 8.70 is decent, with the best figures of 3/16 in an innings.

Punjab shouldn’t think twice before retaining the Indian fast bowler.