The franchise had a prolific season under Shreyas Iyer in 2025.
Put Ricky Ponting and Shreyas at the helm of a franchise together, and they might just come out with a trophy, shrugging their shoulders like nothing happened. That is what the Punjab Kings (PBKS) were extremely close to doing last season, when they went down to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Final. Ahead of the upcoming season, the franchise will be on the cusp of determining the PBKS released players 2026 list.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) letting go of their skipper after winning the IPL title in 2024 was a decision not many understood, but the script read well for the Punjab Kings for sure. They pounced on the deal, gave the lead authority to Ricky Ponting. And in no time, the Punjab Kings were to be feared by almost every franchise in the coveted tournament.
Though they reached the Final of the IPL 2025 season, a lot more will be expected from the PBKS players. And that will lead them to the Punjab Kings targets that they will have their eyes on, in the auctions. But in order to get to the auction table, the franchise would first need to determine the PBKS released players 2026 list along with their retentions, the timeline for which is November 15.
One of the all-rounders that the franchise will watch from close quarters is Cameron Green. The Australian player has made his way back to bowling after returning from an injury, and has proved his value in the Indian Premier League when he was a part of the Mumbai Indians setup. However, the only thing which might come in between, apart from other franchises would be their purse.
And here are a few overseas players who might be the catalysts in order to free PBKS’ purse, becoming a part of the Punjab Kings released players 2026 sheet.
The 36-year-old Australian all-rounder has a rich resume when it comes to franchise cricket leagues around the globe. Having said that, the IPL remains to be one of the most played leagues in his career so far. Marcus Stoinis was acquired by the Punjab Kings ahead of the 2025 season for a whopping sum of INR 11.25 Crore, which was more than five times his base price.
However, the numbers for the Australian star did not quite reflect the hefty sum that the franchise had to bear throughout the season. In 13 games in the season, Stoinis scored just 160 runs with an average of less than 27, and was not able to get to a single fifty. To add to that, he scalped a solitary wicket in the 13 matches, with an expensive economy of 12.35.
It would be in the best interests of the franchise to let go of Stoinis, slotting him in the PBKS released players 2026 list, with Cameron Green being one of the Punjab Kings targets.
Another Australian player who would go down the PBKS released players 2026 list, due to a very simple reason. Despite being bought by the Punjab Kings in 2024 for a sum of INR 1.25 Crore, Hardie was not played for a single match by the franchise.
This could be because of the all-rounder factor, coupled with the rule of being able to play just four overseas players in the XI, considering the impact substitution rule. Marcus Stoinis was always going to be a clear starter for the franchise in all their matches, with Hardie being a probable back-up option for the franchise, one which thy never needed.
Slotting him into the Punjab Kings released players 2026 sheet would allow the franchise to free up more capital in the direction of buying Green as the probable all-rounder for the 2026 season.
The fast bowler from New Zealand played just four matches in 2025 for the Punjab Kings, and would surely be one of the contenders to make the PBKS released players 2026 list ahead of the next season. The fact that Jamieson played as many games that he did, is an indicator in itself that the franchise wasn’t looking for him in the long-term.
However, he was acquired by the IPL 2025 Finalists for a sum of INR 2 Crore, and releasing him back into the auction pool would hand the franchise some useful capital. In the four matches, Kyle Jamieson was able to bag five wickets at an economy almost touching 10. He was not able to create any impact with the bat as well, and did not have any chances for the same.
The 30-year-old has previously been a part of the IPL 2025 champions back in 2021, when he picked nine wickets in as many matches with an economy similar to what he displayed in 2025. Hence, Jamieson would be a surety in the PBKS released players 2026 sheet.
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Well, this could come as a shocker for many. But considering what the franchise would be looking for, it would be in their interests to let go of the Australian wicket-keeper Josh Inglis. The 30-year-old was a driving force at No.3 in the last edition of the IPL, and used to take the bowlers to the cleaners from the word go.
In 11 innings last season, Inglis scored a total of 278 runs at an average of almost 31 with a solitary fifty. His strike-rate was a humongous 162.57, which is more than the number in his Big Bash League (BBL) column. Having said that, it gave the Punjab Kings another option as a wicket-keeper other than Prabhsimran Singh.
The other option for the franchise to put into the PBKS released players 2026 list would have been Xavier Bartlett. Having said that, the speedster was bought for a sum of INR 80 Lakh, which would not free up a lot of capital. To add to that, Bartlett has rose up the ranks wonderfully well, and might make it to the XI for PBKS in the near future.
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