Punjab Kings — 2026 squad, form, fixtures and fantasy picks
Punjab Kings coverage for IPL 2026: confirmed squad, fixture list, last-5 form, probable XI, captaincy and coaching set-up, and the fantasy cricket reads the desk is watching.
Season overview
Punjab Kings come into the 2026 season as Never won (4 finals), with 2 W · 5 L after the first seven matches and an NRR of -0.602. The desk's read: Pace attack, young Indian core rebuilding, middle-overs stride in dot balls, aggressive fielding.
The captain is Shreyas Iyer, the head coach is Ricky Ponting, and the home venue is PCA Stadium, Mohali. Five players we're watching especially closely this week: Shreyas Iyer, Liam Livingstone, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran.
Squad sheet
The PBKS 2026 roster is built around eight overseas players across 25 names. The table here tracks the franchise's official release and updates with every substitution.
| Player | Nationality | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Prabhsimran Singh | Indian | Opener |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Indian | Opener |
| Shreyas Iyer (c) | Indian | Top order |
| Liam Livingstone | Overseas | All-rounder |
| Sam Curran | Overseas | All-rounder |
| Jitesh Sharma | Indian | Wicketkeeper |
| Shashank Singh | Indian | Finisher |
| Arshdeep Singh | Indian | Death pace |
| Kagiso Rabada | Overseas | Pace |
| Harshal Patel | Indian | Variation |
| Rahul Chahar | Indian | Leg-spin |
| Impact: Chris Gayle (mentor) | Overseas | Mentor |
Three tactical matchups to watch
The Punjab Kings matchups the desk is tracking this season. Each one decides a different phase of the game — the new ball, the middle overs, the chase, or the death.
Shreyas at three
The new captain's tempo at number three is the batting read the league tracks. A Shreyas innings above 130 strike rate in the powerplay reshapes PBKS's chase.
PCA Mohali square turners
Mohali's slow surface plays into the fingerspinners, which is why PBKS typically plays two of them. The chase here is usually harder than 1.6 runs per over suggests.
Livingstone / Owen death overs
Which overseas power-hitter is on at the death decides the chase. The matchup against the opposition's best death bowler is the one fantasy players plan around.
Next four on the slate
PBKS next four: vs LSG (Apr 12, evening) · at MI (Apr 19, evening) · vs GT (Apr 22, afternoon) · at RR (Apr 26, evening).
The list above reflects the league's most recent published update for the Punjab Kings run-in. Reschedules or venue moves get reflected on the schedule page the same day the league confirms them — and we mirror the change here so fantasy players building a captain-pick slate around the next match aren't planning around a stale fixture.
Probable XI for the next game
The XI that lost to KKR:
We anchor the XI around the PBKS spine — Shreyas Iyer's call on team balance, the bowler load-outs that match the next pitch, and one overseas slot held open for impact. When rotation is in play, the bench option is named beside the most likely XI so fantasy players aren't guessing.
Fantasy cricket reads for the squad
Where the PBKS squad overlaps with this week's fantasy slate, here is where the desk is reading the picks. Three pages the Punjab Kings captain-cutters tend to land on first:
- Captain picks: tonight's PBKS likely XI is rated against the next opposition, and the captain-candidate list is ranked by fantasy ROI rather than reputation.
- Dream team: the dream-team builder accepts any Punjab Kings player, prints the salary cost per pick, and flags combinations that breach the cap before you commit.
- Orange Cap and Purple Cap: the run-scorer and wicket-taker leaderboards have a Punjab Kings filter, which is the quickest way to see whether the form curve is real or noise.
How the form line has shifted
The Punjab Kings form curve tracks the run-rate scored and conceded across every completed match this season. Sides that trend up in both directions at once are usually top-four material; sides flat or trending down on either axis tend to finish bottom-half. We refresh the PBKS curve after every match and surface it on the desk's match-report flow.
Common reader questions
Who is the Punjab Kings captain?
The Punjab Kings captain for IPL 2026 is Shreyas Iyer, with Ricky Ponting continuing as head coach.
What is the Punjab Kings home venue?
The Punjab Kings play their home matches at PCA Stadium, Mohali.
How many times have the Punjab Kings won the IPL?
Punjab Kings — Never won (4 finals).
When is the Punjab Kings's next match?
The next four PBKS fixtures: vs LSG (Apr 12, evening) · at MI (Apr 19, evening) · vs GT (Apr 22, afternoon) · at RR (Apr 26, evening). The shortest path to the next match start time is the schedule-fixtures page.
Which Punjab Kings players should fantasy players consider?
The captain-picks page rates the PBKS XI against the next opposition each night, and the dream-team builder prints the salary cost per Punjab Kings pick. Pair the two before locking in a captain choice.
Has the Punjab Kings squad changed for 2026?
Squads shift at the auction window and through mid-season substitutions. This page tracks the PBKS squad as it stands today; we update it whenever the franchise confirms a change.
