PBKS strategy for IPL 2026 auction: Shreyas & Ponting to get Livingstone for Maxwell?

Punjab Kings (PBKS) had a near-perfect season in 2025. Almost everything is right, barring the final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. A new team under Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting worked wonders. That means, coming into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction, PBKS need to plug just a couple of gaps.

PBKS retention list

Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod (wk), Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson

PBKS released players list

Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Praveen Dubey, Kuldeep Sen, Josh Inglis(wk)

Purse & slots for IPL 2026 auction

PBKS has the second-lowest purse for the IPL 20256 auction — INR 11.50 crore. However, since they have already retained 21 players and only need to fill 4 slots to reach the maximum of 25 players, they have more than enough money. At best, PBKS can acquire 2 overseas players, as they have already retained 6.

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Players PBKS should target IPL 2026 auction

Punjab will have to find a replacement for Josh Inglis, who won’t be available for most of the IPL 2026 season. They’ll either look to get a foreign wicketkeeper or a foreign batter as his replacement at number three or four. If they get a batter, they’ll need to buy another Indian wicketkeeper.

As they have lost both Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Hardie, they’ll need one foreign all-rounder. They might prefer someone who bowls spin, since they have plenty of pace options. They released a leg spinner in Pravin Dubey, so they’ll look to get another spinner and a pace replacement for Kuldeep Sen.

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