![Punjab Kings cricket team adds Lockie Ferguson [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1777090594261_PunjabKingscricketteamaddsLockieFerguson.jpg?type=hq)
Punjab Kings cricket team adds Lockie Ferguson [Source: AFP]
In a recent development, the Punjab Kings have announced the presence of Lockie Ferguson in their squad ahead of the DC vs PBKS IPL 2026 clash. On their official social media handle, PBKS released a video of Ferguson arriving, which indicates that there is a high possibility of him featuring in the DC vs PBKS clash.
The New Zealand pacer has not played any IPL match yet in this edition of the tournament because of his earlier announcement of taking some time off from cricket, however, Lockie Ferguson’s arrival speaks of a shake-up in the bowling strategy of Punjab Kings, which, so far has been led by Arshdeep Singh and Vijaykumar Vyshak.
How Impactful Lockie Ferguson Has Been So Far With The Ball?
Ferguson last played in the South Africa vs New Zealand series, where in the second and third T20Is, he featured and grabbed eyeballs.
In the second match against the Proteas, Ferguson bagged a 3-fer while giving away only 16 runs. In a match-winning cause, his 3-fer helped the Kiwis bundle up the Proteas for 107 runs while chasing 176 on the board.
After his last match on March 20, Ferguson has been well rested, and will feature again in a cricket match almost after a month.
Although his T20 World Cup 2026 venture was not as good as he would have planned, the veteran, after nursing some injuries, managed to take six wickets from his seven outings while being slightly expensive at an economy rate of 9.97.
Also Read- DC vs PBKS Head to Head Records- IPL 2026, Match 35
How Likely is Lockie Ferguson’s Addition In The DC vs PBKS IPL 2026 Match?
The Punjab Kings squad has so far been led by two pacers, that is Arshdeep Singh and Vijaykumar Vyshak, who have taken six wickets each from their six outings. Marco Jansen, too, has contributed with his five wickets, with most of the contributions coming from pacers.
It is likely that either Xavier Bartlett or Marco Jansen is set to be rested after one month of IPL. Although the INR 2 Crore retention of PBKS has a poor record in IPL, his arrival indicates a shift in Punjab's bowling attack, which has also seen middle-order batter Shashank Singh bag three wickets.
Lockie Ferguson’s IPL Record
Ferguson, while playing many overseas domestic tournaments, has played 49 IPL matches so far, bagging 51 wickets while having a career economy rate of 8.97, indicating his expensive side.
Yet, he is a strike bowler with experience in subcontinent conditions. Interestingly, he has not been much effective on Indian soil since his T20I stats say that he has managed to take only 10 wickets from 11 matches at an average of 30.90 and an economy rate of 10.19.
How Effective Will Ferguson Be For Punjab Kings in IPL 2026?
With his shortcomings, Lockie Ferguson could be a risky bet for Punjab in an afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The DC vs PBKS pitch report indicates Ferguson's extreme pace, ranging from 145 to 150 kph, can rattle batters on the flat track but not without being expensive economically.
However, if there is any early help for pace bowlers, Ferguson might be able to contribute largely inside the powerplay while operating as a strike bowler for the Punjab Kings.
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