The Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been spotless in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. At the halfway mark of their league stage matches, they have yet to lose. Had it not rained on April 6, they wouldn’t most likely have won that game as well. In their last game, Punjab completed the highest successful run chase in T20 history.
Lockie Ferguson to replace Xavier Bartlett
Despite all of this, Punjab can improve their unit. Catching is one issue, but they’ve got players who’ve underperformed. Xavier Bartlett started the season well. In his first 4 matches, the Australian fast bowler claimed 3 powerplay wickets. Since then, he’s struggled. Bartlett has gone for 13.50 runs per over in his last 3 matches and picked up just 1 wicket. That solitary pole came in the 19th over, as he went for 69 runs against the Delhi Capitals.
It's ?????? time! pic.twitter.com/DKwVQ3g5n8
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 24, 2026Luckily for Punjab, they have a backup ready and waiting. Lockie Ferguson joined the franchise on April 24 after taking a prolonged break following the birth of his first child in February. He comes right in. Not only can Ferguson bowl in the powerplay, but he’s efficient in the middle overs as well. He was great for Punjab before injury ruled him out.
Time to drop Nehal Wadhera
Punjab clearly see something in Nehal Wadhera. He played the entire last season. His performance was moderate: 365 runs at a strike rate of 145.84. But he hasn’t brought this form into IPL 2026. After 5 innings, Wadhera has scored just 65 runs in 51 balls. Among all PBKS batters who’ve scored more than 10 runs in IPL 2026, he has the lowest strike rate, 127.45.
For someone who bats at number five, these aren’t great numbers. Now, it might be the right time to test someone else. Give them a run of 5 to 6 matches since Punjab are almost certain to qualify for the playoffs. PBKS have three options: Vishnu Vinod, Suryansh Shedge, or Musheer Khan.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav via AlamyVishnu and Suryansh have been on the subs list. The former hasn’t made his PBKS debut, but the latter played 5 matches last year. As for Musheer, he made his IPL debut last season and was batting well in the pre-season training, but the management hasn’t included him in the impact list.
Predicted PBKS Playing XI vs RR
S. No.PlayerRole1Prabhsimran Singh (wk)Wicketkeeper opener2Priyansh AryaOpener3Cooper ConnollyBatting all-rounder4Shreyas Iyer (c)Middle-order batter5Marcus StoinisBatting all-rounder6Shashank SinghBatting all-rounder7Marco JansenBowling all-rounder8Vijaykumar VyshakRight-arm fast bowler9Lockie FergusonRight-arm fast bowler10Arshdeep SinghLeft-arm fast bowler11Yuzvendra ChahalLeg-spinnerImpact SubVishnu Vinod/Suryansh Shedge/Musheer KhanMiddle-order batterPredicted PBKS Playing XI vs RR: Lockie Ferguson in, Xavier Bartlett out & time to bench Nehal Wadhera? Inside Sport India.
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