Punjab Kings are the runners-up of IPL 2025
PBKS have only managed to reach IPL finals twice in 2014 and 2025
PBKS will start their campaign against Gujarat Giants on March 31
PBKS At IPL 2026: Key Facts, Fixtures, Best Finishes, Squad - Definitive Punjab Kings Preview
Last year's runners-up Punjab Kings will look to go one-step higher and win their maiden IPL trophy as they start their campaign against Gujarat Giants on March 31
Summary
Punjab Kings overhauled their squad ahead of the last edition of the Indian Premier League, including the change in captain and coach duo of Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting. It paid them immediate dividends as they managed to reach the final of the league for the first time since 2014 after winning 9 out of their 15 matches.
PBKS's success last year is positive news for the competitive spirit of the league, and if they manage to repeat their performance, then the fans will most likely witness more close matches this season as well.
Apart from the great rapport between Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer, another reason for PBKS' last year's success was match-winning performances from their young guns.
PBKS as a team have mostly relied on foreign stars, but last year they put their faith in young talents such as Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, who made an impact on the big stage. If they manage to replicate their performance, we could witness another banger of a season from them.
Punjab Kings' best finishes in IPL history
Punjab Kings started their IPL journey with a bang and reached the semi-finals of the tournament, finishing in third spot under the leadership of Kumar Sangakkara.
After that 2014, was another dominant season for them, where they topped the group stage after winning 11 out of their 14 matches, and they lost a high-scoring match to KKR in the final.
Post that it took, PBKS a decade of unsuccessful attempts to reach the final, another final, which they did last year (2025) before losing to RCB.
Indian Premier League 2026: Punjab Kings Schedule
March 31: PBKS vs GT
April 3: CSK vs PBKS
April 6: KKR vs PBKS
April 11: PBKS vs SRH
Indian Premier League 2026: Punjab Kings Squad
Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Pravin Dubey, Vishal Nishad, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Priyansh Arya, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Mitch Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Vishnu Vinod, Prabhsimran Singh
Advertisement
When will PBKS start their IPL 2026 campaign?
Punjab Kings will play their first match against Gujarat Giants at the PCA New Cricket Stadium, Tira on March 31, 2026
Are there any injury concerns to PBKS?
While, there are no injury concerns to PBKS, one of their premier speedster Lockie Ferguson will miss the initial phase of IPL 2026 to prioritise family time, following the birth of this child.
Published At: