Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia says the franchise is in such a stable position after the IPL 2026 retentions that the upcoming auction may hold little more than formality for them. After years of constant rebuilds, PBKS head into December’s event in Abu Dhabi with only four slots to fill and Rs 11.5 crore available, which is in stark contrast to last season, when they retained just two players and entered the auction with Rs 110.5 crore.
Much of that stability has come under the captain-coach partnership of Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting, who guided PBKS to their first IPL final in 11 years. The overhaul last year, including the mega auction in Jeddah, has left the side with a settled core. Speaking to PTI, Wadia said the franchise finally has the balance it long sought. “We don’t even really need to go into the auction. But we will to see how to solidify what we already have, which is a very solid team,” he told PTI, while crediting the leadership group for the shift. He added that the build-up over the past year was key. “The mega auction for us in Jeddah last year was very crucial. Now that we have Ricky and Shreyas working together with all their very valuable support staff, we’re very comfortable with where we are,” Wadia said. PBKS released Glenn Maxwell as expected, while Josh Inglis was let go due to his unavailability for most of the upcoming season. Praveen Dubey, Kuldeep Sen and Vishnu Vinod also exited, none of whom were part of the XI. Wadia stressed that the target remains unchanged despite last season’s strong run. “The job is not done yet as the goal was always to win the IPL,” he said.
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Repeating last season’s performance, he said, will be the bigger test. “Season one, we’ve done it. We have to repeat that again and make sure that we do that consistently,” Wadia said. The PBKS co-owner also pointed to the admiration following the team earned with their aggressive cricket. “They brought a different new game and backed their instincts and it was fun to watch… They captured the minds and hearts of everyone,” he said to PTI, before adding, “Having said that, nothing succeeds like winning.”
