They can retain no more than eight overseas players.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) had a near-perfect campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. They won nine games, lost just four, to sit at the top of the table. PBKS entered the IPL playoffs and Final after over a decade and were just one step away from ending their trophy drought. The leadership duo of team skipper Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting believed in their strong Indian core. They are likely to make fewer changes in their squad and just fix from loose areas in the IPL 2026 auction. Most of the discussions will surround their Australian stars Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Mitch Owen.
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Out of their 25-member squad, Punjab Kings have more than eight overseas players. Initially, their squad had seven OS players, but it increased due to replacements, which were due to injury or withdrawal post IPL suspension.
The overseas players in the Punjab Kings team are:
However, PBKS can retain only eight of these players.
Players like Josh Inglis and Marco Jansen are no-brainer retentions because of the impact they created in IPL 2025. Out of all his heroics, Inglis’ knock of 73 against Mumbai Indians during the league stage pushed PBKS into the top 2 spots for the playoffs. Jansen, on the other hand, often provided with crucial breakthroughs during the opening and death overs. He scalped a total of 16 wickets.
Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, once the most impactful players, had a disappointing run. Towards the tail-end of the tourney, Maxwell was out due to an injury, which led to Mitch Owen joining the squad.
However, Maxwell is most likely to be released due to his poor performances in the league. In his IPL career since 2012, the all-rounder has crossed 300+ runs just six times. His last best came in IPL 2023, when he made 300 runs for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
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Marcus Stoinis and Mitch Owen are cut from the same cloth. Both Australian all-rounders can smack in the lower-middle order and offer medium-pace bowling assists. However, one of them will go under the axe.
Talking about Stoinis first, the 35-year-old made 160 runs in 11 innings of IPL 2025. With the ball, he took just one wicket and bowled with 12.35 rpo. His top knock of 16-ball 44 not out came against Delhi Capitals, but it went in vain as DC won the match. However, he had decent performances in the previous two seasons of the IPL.
In Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025, Stoinis’ form dropped further as he made just 109 runs in nine innings. His strike rate also dropped from 186.04 in IPL 2025 to 113.54. However, he picked up eight wickets for the Texas Super Kings at a lower rpo, 9.42.
Owen, on the other hand, played just one IPL match. He was out on a duck against the Rajasthan Royals. He did not bowl. Yet, PBKS may see him as a better prospect. In MLC 2025, the 23-year-old struck 313 runs in 11 innings. With the ball, he scalped 14 wickets from 10 outings at a similar rpo of 9.26.
Overall, the youngster is yet to play in India, however, he has had a taste of the subcontinent while playing for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). In the latest season, Owen struck at 192.45 as he put together 102 runs in seven innings. With the ball, he picked up just two wickets, but it was an economical spell of 2/2.
Though Stoinis is well-experienced and has played enough in the IPL, Owen’s numbers are promising. PBKS can bank on the young blood as they’ve shown trust India’s domestic players too.
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