25 March,2026 03:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Irfan Pathan, Arshdeep Singh (Pic: File Pic)
The IPL 2026 is all set to kick off from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections.
Ahead of the league, former Team India cricketer Irfan Pathan feels that Punjab Kings' (PBKS) pacer Arshdeep Singh needs to pay attention to his statistics with the ball and also keep an eye on his economy rate.
"Arshdeep, who was your highest wicket-taker, has been consistently taking wickets. One thing he will definitely need to focus on is how he bowls with the new ball. Because over the past year, or slightly less than a year, from what I have observed, he hasn't been bowling much inswing with the new ball," he said.
"His statistics, compared to before and after the Asia Cup, have slightly declined in terms of new-ball bowling. He will need to pay attention to that, and also keep an eye on his economy rate," added Pathan.
Arshdeep Singh has been consistent for the Punjab-based franchise since his debut in the Indian Premier League in 2019. The star pacer has taken 97 wickets in 82 cash-rich league matches for the franchise with a concerning economy rate of nine.
PBKS will begin their IPL 2026 campaign by playing a clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 31 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.
Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shashank Singh, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Shreyas Iyer, Ben Dwarshuis, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Harpreet Brar, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Cooper Conolly, Mitchell Owen, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Vishal Nishad.
Gujarat Titans: Ishant Sharma, Jos Buttler (WK), Jason Holder, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Tewatia, Luke Wood, Shahrukh Khan, Glenn Phillips, Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Sai Kishore, Shubman Gill (C), Tom Banton (WK), Yarra Raj, Anuj Rawat, Sai Sudharsan, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra (WK), Arshad Khan, Nishant Sandhu, Gurnoor Brar, Ashok Sharma.
(With ANI Inputs)
