If you bring together Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer as the leaders of a franchise, they can simply walk away with a trophy without making a fuss. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) were very close to the apex of such dare, indeed, when they lost the final to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Now, the franchise will have to decide on the players to be included in the PBKS released players 2026 list.
Not many cricket lovers were in favor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) parting ways with their captain after winning the IPL title in 2024. However, it was excellent from the Punjab Kings’ side, indeed. They seized the opportunity, handing over the reins to the master tactician, Ricky Ponting. In a very short span of time, the Punjab Kings were almost every other franchise’s nightmare in the prestigious tournament.
Although PBKS managed to get to the Final of IPL 2025, they are still expected to deliver more. It will open the door for the Punjab Kings’ players’ auction targets. But in order to get to the auction table, the franchise has to determine the PBKS released players 2026 list and the retentions. The deadline for that is November 15.
Cameron Green is one of the all-rounders who is on the franchise’s watchlist. The Australian cricketer, after suffering an injury, has made his way back to bowling and has displayed his worth in the Indian Premier League when he was with the Mumbai Indians. But the only thing that might stand in the way, besides other teams, is their budget.
Moreover, there are a couple of international players who could be the triggers to make PBKS’ purse bigger by being part of the Punjab Kings released players 2026 list.
Punjab Kings Overseas Players Likely to Be Released
Marcus Stoinis
The 36-year-old Australian all-rounder has a large and impressive resumé when it comes to taking part in different and leading world franchise cricket leagues. That being said, Stoinis’ IPL career has been one of the most eventful ones so far. The Punjab Kings secured the services of Marcus Stoinis for the 2025 season, paying an astounding INR 11.25 Crore, which was more than five times his base price.
Nonetheless, the performance of the Australian star was not able to justify the hefty sum that the franchise had to pay during the entire season. Stoinis played in 13 games in the season and managed to score only 160 runs with an average of less than 27, and was not able to reach even a single fifty. His performance in bowling was no better than that, as he got just one wicket in the 13 matches at an expensive economy of 12.35.
Franchise letting Stoinis go and placing him in PBKS released players 2026 list would be a smart move and it is already considered as a possible potion with the team of Punjab Kings aiming for Cameron Green.
Aaron Hardie
The actor from down under is going to be on the list of the released players of PBKS for the year 2026, and this is for a very simple reason. The Punjab Kings bought Hardie in 2024 for 1.25 crores, but the franchise did not let him play even once.
This may be due to the all-rounder factor combined with the rule regarding maximum four overseas players in the XI, keeping in view the impact substitution rule. Stoinis was the clear first-choice player for the franchise in all their matches and Hardie was the possible backup player for the franchise, which they never needed.
The franchise could slot him into the Punjab Kings released players 2026 list and in that case, they would be able to free up more funds for the purchase of Green as the probable all-rounder for the 2026 season.
Kyle Jamieson
The New Zealand pace bowler was able to play only four matches for the Kings in 2025 and would definitely be one of the players to be released by PBKS in 2026 list. The very fact that Jamieson managed to play a few games is an indication that the franchise was not looking for him in a long-term perspective.
Nonetheless, the IPL 2025 Finalists signed him for INR 2 Crore, and his re-entry into the auction pool would give the franchise some beneficial capital. The total wickets Kyle Jamieson could get in the four games was five at a rate of almost 10. He could not impact with the bat too and did not even get any opportunities for that.
The age of 30 is already after Jamison has played with the IPL 2025 winners in 2021 when he was the one who picked nine wickets in the same number of matches with an economy rate equal to that of his performance in 2025. So, Jamieson would be a surety in the PBKS released players 2026 list.
Josh Inglis
Well, this might be a surprise for a lot of people. But, keeping in mind the plan that the franchise would be following, it would be better for them to release the Australian wicket-keeper Josh Inglis. The 30-year-old was an important player at No.3 during the previous IPL and was able to score runs from the very start for the bowlers.
Last season Inglis managed to score 278 runs in 11 innings at an average of close to 31 with one fifty only. He scored at a colossal rate of 162.57, which is even more than his Big Bash League (BBL) rate. Nonetheless, he provided the Punjab Kings with another option as a wicket-keeper besides Prabhsimran Singh.
The PBKS released players 2026 list would be able to include Xavier Bartlett as an option by the franchise. However, the fast bowler was purchased for an amount of INR 80 Lakh which would not liberate a great deal of funds. Furthermore, Bartlett has been performing impressively and could be a part of the PBKS XI soon.
