Expectations were sky-high from Punjab Kings heading into Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 after a complete roster revamp under coach Ricky Ponting and new captain Shreyas Iyer, but the season ended in an underwhelming fashion.Â
Despite spending 22 days at the top of the table after a roaring start, a shocking six-game losing streak saw PBKS finish fifth and narrowly miss the playoffs. To bounce back strongly and finally cross the top-four hurdle in IPL 2027, the franchise must address their middle-season collapses and establish a more consistent blueprint.
Here are the three changes PBKS should make ahead of IPL 2027:
3)Â Strengthen the bowling line-upÂ
The IPL 2025 finalists will be looking to bounce back after a disastrous season at the end of their 2026 IPL campaign. The first thing they will look to improve is strengthening their bowling line-up. There is a famous saying in cricket – Batters win you games, bowlers win you championships, and this is where PBKS suffered in IPL 2026. It was a bad outing for their bowlers as they conceded 200+ runs seven out of their 14 league games in this year’s IPL.Â
Not one bowler from PBKS line-up managed to find a spot in top-10 wicket takers of IPL 2026. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was their highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets to his name. If they want to come back to winning ways in next year’s edition, the Shreyas Iyer-led side will need to improve with the ball.
