Punjab Kings (PBKS) qualified for an Indian Premier League (IPL) final for the first time in 11 years last season, but narrowly missed out on winning their maiden title. The Shreyas Iyer-led side managed to build a strong squad, with an incredible depth of domestic and Indian players, who played a big role in the highly successful campaign. But a tweak in the PBKS retention list ahead of the IPL 2026 auction is inevitable.
While PBKS boasts of India internationals like Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh, they also have promising domestic stars in their ranks like Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, most of whom impressed in the chances they got. These stars have a strong chance to secure a spot in the PBKS retention list ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. However, there are also a few such names who didn’t deliver or don’t fit into the franchise’s future plans and might be released. Let’s take a look at who’s in and who’s out.
India Domestic Stars in PBKS Retention List Before IPL 2026 Auction
PBKS has a long list of India domestic stars as they formed the core of the side that was built at the mega auction last year. Check which players will make the cut
Top India Domestic Stars in PBKS Retention List
- Prabhsimran Singh – The opening wicketkeeper-batter enjoyed a good IPL 2025 season with over 500 runs at an average of 32.29 and a fiery strike rate of 160.52, including four fifties. His recent form has also been sublime, where he hit a century and a fifty in two out of his three innings for India A against Australia A in List A matches.
- Priyansh Arya – Acquired by PBKS during the mega auction for a whopping INR 3.8 crore, the young left-handed opener lived up to the lofty price tag with his explosive batting show. He blasted 475 runs at a stellar strike rate touching 180s, which also includes a century and two fifties.
- Shashank Singh – Shashank Singh is one of the best finishers to operate in the IPL, and he did a fantastic job for his team last season as well. He averaged 50 in his high-risk role, and PBKS will definitely want to retain a talent of his calibre.
- Vijaykumar Vyashak – The medium pacer was mostly used as an Impact player last season, and he bowled brilliantly, especially in the death overs, using his variations to choke the opposition by taking wickets of restricting run flow. He is a good asset to have in the bowling attack and is a likely name to be retained.
Other India domestic stars who can be in PBKS retention list
Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Nehal Wadhera, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, and Harnoor Pannu.
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Top India Domestic Stars Who Will Likely Not Be in PBKS Retention List
While PBKS have an incredible talent pool of domestic stars, there are a few names who weren’t impressive or don’t feature in the franchise’s plans and will likely be on the PBKS Released list.
- Vishnu Vinod – The 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was bought in a backup role to fill the void in case of any unavailability or injury concerns. However, with PBKS already having the likes of Josh Inglis and Prabhsimran in the ranks, Vinod is likely to be on the PBKS released list ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
- Kuldeep Sen – The right-arm fast bowler did not get any game time last season due to a lack of space in the playing XI with better options available, and PBKS would want to free up a slot and some budget by releasing him.
- Pravin Dubey and Pyla Avinash – Both players were picked at their base price of INR 30 lakh. Dubey got to play one match, but the spinner was unimpressive, going at an economy of 10 in the two overs he bowled and managed a solitary wicket. Pyla Avinash, on the other hand, is untested in IPL and will not find himself in the PBKS retention list.
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