He has already represented Hobart Hurricanes.
Arshdeep Singh has urged the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to add Nikhil Chaudhary to their squad in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction. Nikhil, who currently represents Australia, is an India-based all-rounder and has represented Punjab in a few domestic matches during the initial years of his career.
After being around the Tasmania setup for a while, Nikhil hit his maiden First Class hundred in the Sheffield Shield fixture earlier today, becoming the first Indian to achieve the feat in the competition this century. Batting at No.5, he scored 163 runs in 184 deliveries, comprising nine boundaries and five maximums, at a strike rate of 88.59.
Tasmania were already in a commanding position, and his marathon knock ensured they posted the second-highest total in the tournament’s history. Nikhil might be gutted not to convert this into a double century, as it was there for the taking on a flat deck.
As his knock ended, Arshdeep took to his official Instagram account to post a story, saying, “Punjabi add kr liye ek hor? (Add another Punjabi guy in the squad?)” while tagging the official PBKS account. He often posts cheeky content on his social media accounts, and this was one of them, but his story has surely put Nikhil in the limelight.
Currently, the Punjab Kings have six overseas players in their squad, leaving them with two more slots to fill in the IPL 2026 auction. However, they already have several all-rounders like Azamtullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, and Mitchell Owen – all of them pace bowlers.
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Meanwhile, Nikhil Chaudhary is a spin-bowling all-rounder who is very capable with the ball. PBKS have let Glenn Maxwell go, while Pravin Dubey, a leg spinner, is also not part of the franchise anymore.
Among spin-bowling all-rounders, the runners-up only have Harpreet Brar as a settled option, so they can afford to get Nikhil Chaudhary. His price won’t be too high either, and PBKS will get a decent package, and more importantly, an Australian – something Ricky Ponting likes.
He has already represented Hobart Hurricanes, a Tasmania-based BBL franchise, and Ponting was also a Tasmanian during his playing days. In T20s, Nikhil has played 36 matches, scoring 538 runs at a strike rate of 130.26 and taking 16 wickets at 34.06 runs apiece.
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