Big blow for Punjab Kings ahead of IPL 2026; THIS star player likely to miss early stage of the tournament

Punjab Kings will begin their IPL 2026 campaign on March 31 against the Gujarat Titans.

The 2025 finalists, the Punjab Kings, will be hoping to go one better this season. The dynamic duo of captain Shreyas Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting will once again lead Punjab in the upcoming season.

PBKS did not have much to do at the mini-auction as they already boast a settled playing XI with very few tweaks needed.

They released Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis, but retained their Indian core. At the top of the order will be the explosive pairing of Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya. Both youngsters impressed last year and will be instrumental in giving the team excellent starts.

Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh will stabilise the middle-order, and overseas all-rounders like Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen are the heart of this PBKS unit. Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal will lead the bowling attack, alongside other Indian uncapped options.

PBKS will start their IPL 2026 season on home soil in Mullanpur against the Gujarat Titans on March 31 (Tuesday). They then travel to Chennai, where they hold a superb record against CSK, despite Chepauk being a fortress for the Yellow Army.

Lockie Ferguson is likely to miss the start of IPL 2026

Even before the start of IPL 2026, injuries and withdrawals of several players have become a headache for their respective teams. Now, PBKS have suffered a major setback. According to ESPN Cricinfo’s reports, their star New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is likely to miss the early parts of the competition.

Ferguson recently became a dad and has decided to spend more time with his family and newborn baby.

“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 said in Auckland ahead of the third T20I match against South Africa.

“Always a pleasure playing for the Black Caps, really enjoyed my time in India with the group again, and unfortunately, the injuries played out earlier in the season. Really wanted to play some home cricket and feel just privileged to be able to play in front of the home crowd”, the Kiwi added while speaking to ESPN.

Ferguson is likely to join PBKS for the “later stages”, but his arrival date is yet to be confirmed. In his absence, Xavier Bartlett is likely to start for the Punjab Kings, with all-rounders like Azmatullah Omarzai or Mitchell Owen potentially getting a chance.

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