Will Lockie Ferguson Be Punished By PBKS For Missing IPL 2026 First Half?

Ferguson will miss the first half of the IPL 2026 [Source: AFP]Several IPL teams have been marred with key players missing the start of the 2026 season (either due to an injury, or because of personal reasons), and one of the teams that has been severely affected is last year’s finalists, Punjab Kings. The Shreyas Iyer-led team built a strong core for IPL 2026, but it seems they need to change their plans.According to the latest report by PTI, New Zealand pacer, Lockie Ferguson, who is a part of the Punjab Kings is all set to miss the first seven matches due to personal reasons.“He is not available for the first seven games," a source close to the proceedings informed the publication.Why Ferguson will miss the first half of IPL 2026?Ferguson, who has been a part of the PBKS squad since 2025, played just four matches last season, but was touted to be a key member of the bowling department alongside Marco Jansen, and Arshdeep Singh. However, days before the start of the IPL season, the franchise was dented with a massive Ferguson blow.It was expected that the Kiwi bowler would be available for the entire season, but his wife delivered a baby, a couple of days ago, and the speedster wants to spend some time with his family, and hence, will not play the first seven matches.“Just had a wee son; trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help the wife out. I’ll have a few weeks off after this before sort of heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter," Ferguson had said before the 3rd T20I between New Zealand and South Africa.Also Read: Uncapped Punjab Kings Players Who Are Ready To Explode In IPL 2026Will IPL punish Ferguson for skipping seven matches?The IPL had introduced a rule that if an overseas player opts out of the tournament even after registering themselves for the auction, then they would be given a two-year ban. This happened with Harry Brook, who was signed by DC in IPL 2025, but the batter never turned up, and is now serving a ban.Unlike Brook, Ferguson will miss only the first half of the season and will be available for the second half; however, he is still aligned to be punished by the IPL governing body. The right-arm bowler was retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction, and had he then informed about his unavailability, the team might have gotten a backup ready.An IPL team can only look for a replacement if the player has pulled out of the league for all games or is injured and unable to compete. Since Ferguson is neither injured nor will he miss the entire campaign, the team cannot even sign a replacement.Keeping this situation in mind, the IPL governing body could punish the PBKS player, but the punishment might not be as severe as what Brook faced.Punjab Kings squad for IPL 2026 without FergusonBatters: Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh,Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Pravin Dubey, Vishal NishadAll-rounders: Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Priyansh Arya, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Mitch Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben DwarshuisWicketkeepers: Vishnu Vinod, Prabhsimran SinghAlso Read: Virat Kohli To MS Dhoni: If Indian Cricketers Were Dhurandhar Characters, Who Will Play Hamza?