Punjab Kings' skipper Shreyas Iyer will be at the forefront of their decision-making when the IPL 2026 auction takes place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. He will lead Punjab Kings’ bidding strategy. However, he will be without the presence of head coach Ricky Ponting, who, according to Cricbuzz, will not travel with the PBKS contingent to Abu Dhabi.
Ponting is committed to his broadcasting duties with Channel 7 in Australia, where coverage of the Ashes Test begins in Adelaide the day after the auction. His absence means that the responsibility of leading Punjab Kings’ auction table will fall on Iyer and the rest of the management team. Iyer notably has spent the last several weeks focused on recovery following a spleen injury picked up during India’s tour of Australia in October.
Punjab Kings had a dominant season last year, storming into the final on the back of magnificent performances throughout the season. However, they lost to RCB in the final. Meanwhile, Daniel Vettori has reportedly been granted approval by Cricket Australia to attend the IPL mini auction for Sunrisers Hyderabad.