With IPL 2026 As the mini-auction approaches, the excitement builds steadily across the cricket landscape. The November 15 holding period added further intrigue by pushing franchisees to make important decisions before the December auction. Among them, kings of punjab (pbks) Find yourself in a unique position – in a memorable IPL 2025 campaign, reaching the finals for the first time in 11 years.
Under his leadership Shreyas eats and the leadership of the head coach Ricky pontingPbks delivered their most consecutive seasons in ten years after finishing in the top two in the points standings. The rise of some young people Priyansh AryaImpressed by 475 runs in his debut season and Prabhsimran SinghHe added 499 in 14 matches to his tally of positives. The franchise, which has been running so true, now faces the difficult task of deciding which players to release ahead of the 2026 mini-auction.
Irfan Pathan called the two players punjab kings
Ex-India all-rounder Irfan Pathan Punjab was drawn into the Kings’ retention dilemma and offered two high-profile names, two high-profile names that the franchise should consider releasing. In a video shared by Star Sports, he lashed out at the returns given by Pathan Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell in the 2025 season.
Pathin justified the tricolor price tag placed on Stoinis by Punjab, highlighting that his performances have fallen short of expectations. Stoinis struggled with the ball for just 160 runs across 11 innings, taking only one wicket while running at an economy rate of one. Pathan emphasized that these numbers do not reflect the expected impact of a high-value, making it the weak link in an otherwise successful PBS campaign.
“Did Stoinis bring the value of those 11 crores at the ground through performance? said Pathan.
Pathan also pointed to Maxwell’s decline with the bat, noting that the Australian star has not been effective in the last two IPL seasons. Maxwell failed to provide the explosive contributions he is known for, scoring just 48 runs from six overs in IPL 2025. Although he took four wickets at a decent economy of 8.46, Pathan emphasized that his starring role as a batting powerhouse has been pushed forward, raising concerns about the value of the Punjab Kings.
“Maxwell hasn’t scored runs. In the last two years, we haven’t seen much of his batting and even the previous season he wasn’t great before he got injured.” Pathan added.
Highlighting the financial advantage, Pathan said the PBKs could free up about ₹ 15 crore, pre-auction maksvediba, by releasing the stiinis. Such a move would give the franchise significant flexibility to target effective all-arounders or strengthen other areas of the staff during the bidding process.
Read: Punjab Kings: 5 Indian players PBKS can keep ahead of IPL 2026 auction
The core group is expected to remain intact
Despite the tough decisions ahead, the Punjab Kings are expected to retain several key performers. Pathan highlighted the likes of the breakout star Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran SinghSkipper Iyer, the veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahalpacer Arshdeep Singhand and reliable Shashank Singh integral to the overall progression of the team’s core.
As the eclipse approaches, PBKS will look to strike the right balance between maintaining stability and making necessary changes. With the mini-auction on the horizon, every decision could be crucial in shaping their bid for another deep playoff run in IPL 2026.
Read: Mumbai Indians eye Arjun Tendulkar: Shardul Thakur ahead of IPL 2026 Auction
