Punjab Kings Best Playing XI For IPL 2026 - Shreyas Iyer At No.4, Australia Pacer Out

Punjab Kings Squad - (Source: X.com)

Punjab Kings suffered a heartbreak last season when the Shreyas Iyer-led team lost to RCB in the IPL 2025 final. The Preity Zinta-owned side are still searching for their maiden IPL title. The team came close last year but fell short in the final hurdle.

Following a successful season, Punjab Kings didn’t make many changes to their squad during the auction. Shedding light on the personal changes for IPL 2026, the team's biggest buy this season was Australian pacer Ben Dwarshuis ( INR 4.40 crore).

The franchise also secured Cooper Connolly for INR 3 crore. In addition to these signings, Punjab Kings added two uncapped players, Pravin Dubey and Vishal Nishad.

With minimal changes, the focus remains the same, which is to bag the silverware for the first time in history. Therefore, this article will shed light on Punjab Kings’ best playing XI for IPL 2026.

Punjab Kings’ Best Playing XI For IPL 2026

Openers and top order: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Nehal Wadhera, Shreyas Iyer

Punjab Kings won’t make any changes to their top-order and the opening slot. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya were on song in IPL 2025 and will continue to open the innings in the upcoming season. Last season, Prabhsimran and Arya together amassed 1024 runs, at a combined strike rate of 168.69, forging the second-most destructive opening partnership in the competition.

Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya's individual stats in IPL 2025

Nehal Wadhera also had a great season and amassed 369 runs in 15 innings, averaging 30.75. Further, Shreyas Iyer had his best season with the bat and scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.05. The top four look steady, and there won’t be any changes. 

Middle-Order: Marcus Stoinis, Cooper Connolly, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen

Punjab Kings have made significant changes in their middle-order for the upcoming season. They will miss Josh Inglis, who was released due to unavailability for the entire season. Therefore, Cooper Connolly is most likely to replace Inglis in the team. He can bat and also bowl four overs of spin.

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Shashank Singh will retain his place in the middle-order alongside Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen.

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson

Arshdeep Singh will spearhead the bowling attack for Punjab Kings. He was recently part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign and is high on confidence. Further, Yuzvendra Chahal will be the lead spinner for the Shreyas Iyer-led side.

At present, PBKS are struggling for their 11th place. Lockie Ferguson is the ideal bowler to play but there are reports that he is only available for half-season. In that case, Ben Dwarshuis is most likely to make it to the playing XI for the Kings.

In the impact sub category, there are Vijay Kumar Vyshak and Yash Thakur, who are expected to be used regularly in IPL 2026.

Punjab Kings' Predicted Best Playing XI For IPL 2026

1. Prabhsimran Singh
2. Priyansh Arya
3. Nehal Wadhera
4. Shreyas Iyer
5. Marcus Stoinis
6. Cooper Connolly
7. Shashank Singh
8. Marco Jansen
9. Arshdeep Singh
10. Yuzvendra Chahal
11. Lockie Ferguson

Impact Subs: Vijay Kumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur

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