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The Punjab Kings think tank at the IPL 2026 auction along with PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer. (PHOTO: PBKS media)
Last season’s IPL finalists Punjab Kings (PBKS) had a quiet IPL 2026 auction on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, making only four acquisitions. Having retained the core of the side that reached the IPL final last season, Punjab Kings were not in the auction for too many players to complete their 25-player squad for the upcoming season.
The IPL auction saw PBKS secure two uncapped and two capped players, with Australian pacer Ben Dwarshuis emerging as the team’s most expensive purchase this auction. The Kings opened their account with Cooper Connolly, a batting all-rounder from Australia, who was acquired for Rs 3 crore. Connolly is a rising star capable of providing flexibility in the middle order, besides being a reliable slow left-arm spin option.
After the auction, Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer, who has faced Connolly in Australia, revealed that the players was not on their radar initially.
“Honestly, he wasn’t there in our mind at the start but as we brainstormed and narrowed down our options, we realized he fit the position perfectly,” Iyer said. “He has a great temperament and the ability to finish games. Those characteristics matter a lot in IPL. However, we didn’t think we would get him for 3, we actually predicted his price would be much higher.”
The team’s highest bid of the auction followed shortly after, as Ben Dwarshuis was signed for Rs 4.40 crore. The left-arm pacer and handy lower-order striker adds significant depth to the bowling attack while providing a lethal power-hitting option at the death.
Pravin Dubey returned to the Kings’ den after being re-acquired at his base price of INR 30 lakh. Dubey provides essential Indian spin backup to complement the existing duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Harpreet Brar. Further strengthening the domestic core, promising young talent Vishal Nishad joins the PBKS squad, also signed at his base price of Rs 30 lakh.
The Kings entered the auction with a purse of Rs 11.5 crore, successfully exhausting Rs 8 crore from the same, having acquired two overseas and two Indian players.
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