PBKS Possible Picks for IPL 2026: Shreyas Iyer’s Probable Replacement, Possible Targets, Auction Strategy and Ricky Ponting Impact in… – news24online.com

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Punjab Kings performance in IPL 2025 was something different. With Australian legend Ricky Ponting joined as a head coach and Shreyas Iyer who was bought for whooping Rs. 26.75 Cr, leading as a captain. After 11 years, they finished the league stage and topped the points table and also played in the final. The team was so close to winning its first trophy but lost the game by just 6 runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the end.
PBKS released just five players including Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen and Pravin Dubey. Unlike the previous season’s auction, they don’t need to spend much on the table this time. Ricky Ponting, Shreyas Iyer and co. just need to fill some backup spots. But an injury concern may be a major threat for the team.
Captain of the solid side, Shreyas Iyer got injured during the 3rd match of the ODI series against Australia and doubtful for the ODI series against South Africa as well. However, he is recovering well but what if the injury scare becomes true just before or in mid way during the tournament. PBKS would like to pick someone for any unfortunate event.
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Tushar Raheja, a wicketkeeper top order batter who can play at 3 or 4. If PBKS is stuck in a situation where they need to replace Shreyas then they should pick Tushar for that role. He scored 488 runs in 9 innings with an average of 61 and strike rate of 185.5 while playing for Tiruppur Tamizhans in TNPL. 
Former PBKS player and a dependable middle order batter from Kerala, Mayank is a proven commodity in IPL and he also captained Punjab during 2021 IPL season. With 2,756 runs in 131 matches with a strike rate of 133.40, mayank can be a perfect replacement for Shreyas Iyer.
Aussie top order spin bowling all rounder is a potential target for PBKS. Short is a reliable top and middle order batter and bowls some handy overs as well. He can be the perfect replacement for Glenn Maxwell.
One more Australian all rounder might attract some bids from PBKS. Cooper can bowl off spin and can bat in lower order for finishing games. During his stint with Perth Scorchers in the last BBL, he scored 351 runs at average of 50.14 and also picked 6 wickets with an economy of 7.42.
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