Punjab Kings performs puja ahead of IPL 2026 season

Head coach Ricky Ponting, spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule and wicketkeeping coach Brad Haddin were among those present. The group sought blessings for the season ahead as the franchise gears up for what promises to be an exciting campaign, according to a release.

Meanwhile, Australian stars Marcus Stoinis and Cooper Connolly have officially joined the PBKS squad in Mohali. The duo arrived earlier on Wednesday to link up with the rest of the team as preparations enter the final stages for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.

According to a release, the players were seen in high spirits as they were welcomed at the New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh.

Their arrival adds massive firepower to the Punjab Kings lineup, bringing a strong mix of international experience and exciting youthful energy to the camp.

The Kings, who were the runners-up last season, have been training hard over the last few weeks. The squad is now gearing up for their highly anticipated season opener against the Gujarat Giants.

The match will be played in front of their home crowd on March 31. Punjab Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer, reached the IPL 2026 finals, but faced a defeat at the hands of the Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six runs in the summit clash.

In the IPL 2025 final, RCB scored 190 runs batting first with the help of Virat Kohli's 43 and contributions from the middle order as well. Chasing 191 for their maiden IPL title, Punjab fell short by six runs despite Shashank Singh's 30-ball 61-run knock.

Punjab Kings full squad for IPL 2026:

Arshdeep Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Cooper Connolly, Pravin Dubey, Vishal Nishad, Ben Dwarshuis. (ANI)