21 April,2026 09:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Rohan Koli
Punjab Kings` Marco Jansen, centre, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Lucknow Super Giants` Nicholas Pooran during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, in New Chandigarh, Punjab. Pic/PTI
Skipper Shreyas Iyer has led by example - not just with his bat and leadership qualities, but also with his fielding. He has scored three half-centuries (208 runs at an average of 52.00). Also, his superhuman mid-air effort to dismiss MI skipper Hardik Pandya is the catch of this IPL. And of course, he has rotated his bowlers smartly.
As revealed by top-order batter Cooper Connolly after the 54-run win over Lucknow Super Giants, Punjab Kings have created a positive dressing-room environment by "players are exchanging ideas and taking little notes off each other". This shared mindset has brought the bunch together as one unit.
Another major reason for Punjab's consistency this season is the trust they've shown in their core group. While other franchises have constantly shuffled their line-ups, PBKS have used the same 12 players (playing XI plus one Impact Sub) in all games so far. The 2025 runners-up have also retained 21 out of the total 26 players from last season's squad.
The partnership between head coach Ricky Ponting and skipper Iyer has been working well since last season, and the key to success, as recently revealed by the Australian, is creating a supportive atmosphere in the dressing room. The former two-time ODI World Cup-winning captain has stated that his role as a coach is to support players, not control them. This has allowed youngsters, including uncapped Indians, to play without fear of failure.
One of the two openers, Priyansh Arya or Prabhsimran Singh, has stayed at the crease, giving the team a solid start. The duo have stitched together two 50-plus stands in five innings so far. Arya has amassed 211 runs at an extraordinary strike-rate of 248.23, while Prabhsimran has scored 211 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 171.54.
