Punjab Kings, the runners-up of last year’s IPL, made a strategic addition to their squad by acquiring 22-year-old Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly for Rs 3 crore during the mini-auction for the upcoming IPL season in Abu Dhabi. Captain Shreyas Iyer shared insights into the team’s mindset, preparation, and approach to decision-making during ‘Match Centre Live Auction 2026’.
Iyer highlighted the team’s relaxed approach, saying, “There’s no pressure. We had several meetings before coming here, and the way we’ve planned and prepared, everyone feels quite relaxed. We know exactly what we want.”
On the opening day of the auction, Punjab Kings bid only for Connolly, leaving them with a remaining purse of Rs 8.50 crore. Iyer emphasised the role of analytical data, saying, “Analytical data plays a big role. We have two analysts in our team, and the experience and depth of information they provide is immense.”
Punjab Kings have retained Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Priyansh Arya, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Mitch Owen, Vishnu Vinod, and Prabhsimran Singh. The franchise has released Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Sen, and Praveen Dubey.
