Fri Dec 19 09:50:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text, focusing on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) IPL 2026 squad:
Punjab Kings Finalize Squad for IPL 2026 with Strategic Auction Moves
Chandigarh, India – The Punjab Kings (PBKS) have finalized their squad for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season following a strategic, albeit budget-conscious, auction. Having released most players before the IPL 2025 mega auction, with the exception of Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, PBKS entered the 2026 auction with a significantly smaller purse of ₹11.50 crore.
The team had already retained key players in November and is looking to build on their strong performance in IPL 2025, where they reached the final. However, the release of players like Josh Inglis and the absence of Glenn Maxwell means the team is keenly searching for impactful players to bolster the top order and provide explosive batting.
Key Players & New Additions
The current PBKS squad includes Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyala Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Vishak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Vishnu Vinod, Ben Dwarshuis, Cooper Connolly, Vishal Nishad, and Praveen Dubey.
Auction Overview
Overall, the IPL 2026 auction saw a total of 77 players sold for a combined ₹215.45 crore. The Punjab Kings will hope their calculated acquisitions and retained core prove to be a winning formula as they aim for their maiden IPL title in the upcoming season.
Note: I have omitted the information about the Purnima calendar in 2026 as it’s unrelated to the IPL news. The auction is being described in general terms as the text provides no details about the auction otherwise.
First Piper 