The Punjab Kings will kick off their journey to the IPL title in 2026 at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh, their new home ground. The first-phase schedule that is out on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, also shows that the Kings will be playing against the Gujarat Titans in their first match on Tuesday, March 31. The franchise that became the finalist in the 2025 season is eyeing to carry on its success in the bright lights of Mullanpur.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (IST) |
| March 31 | Gujarat Titans | New Chandigarh | 7:30 PM |
| April 03 | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai | 7:30 PM |
| April 06 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| April 11 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | New Chandigarh | 3:30 PM |
The “Iyer-Ponting” Era
The main change in Punjab Kings’ camp would be the introduction of an aggressive “front-foot” mindset by the captain-coach pair, Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting. After several years of mid-table finishes, the team has decided to stop depending too much on overseas stars and has, instead, put its faith in a strong Indian core.Â
The team’s leaders firmly believe in the idea of “front-foot” cricket, which means they want the batsmen, such as Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh, to play aggressive cricket right from the first ball. Middle overs will be handled by Yuzvendra Chahal, who is a master tactician. The newly built Chandigarh stadium, a place famous for releasing extra bounce and carry of the ball, perfectly suits their line of fast bowlers, with the dangerous Arshdeep Singh as the main one.
Punjab Kings squad IPL 2026
Shreyas Iyer (C), Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod, Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Cooper Connolly, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Pravin Dubey, Vishal Nishad, and Lockie Ferguson.Â
Management: Ricky Ponting (Head Coach), Brad Haddin (Assistant Coach), James Hopes (Fast Bowling Coach), Sairaj Bahutule (Spin Bowling Coach).
