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Shreyas Iyer to head Punjab Kings' table at IPL 2026 auction, but no Ricky Ponting for runners-up: Report
Shreyas Iyer will be at the table for Punjab Kings in Abu Dhabi next week, but the franchise will be without head coach Ricky Ponting.
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer will be present at the auction table for his IPL franchise at next week’s event in Abu Dhabi, reports indicate. The Indian batter will be leading the bidding for PBKS, but the table will be without head coach Ricky Ponting as they look to fill out the roster for the upcoming season.
As per Cricbuzz sources, Shreyas will be at the head of the table for PBKS and one of the eight members that the BCCI allows per franchise at the table on December 16. Iyer has been busy recovering and rehabbing from a spleen injury suffered during a tour of Australia in October, and is expected to return to action just in time for IPL 2026 beginning in late March.
However, while Iyer will be present alongside key members of the PBKS thinktank, he will be without the support of his coach Ricky Ponting. Ponting will remain in Australia, where he is under contract with Channel 7 for their coverage of the Ashes Test match beginning in Adelaide the following day.
Ponting and Iyer had a transformative effect upon joining PBKS in 2025, dominating the IPL league stages and reaching the finals, where they were beaten by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a tough contest.
Not too much business for PBKS to attend
As a result of that successful season, Punjab won't have much to do in the auction room, with only four slots to be filled in their roster. Punjab have 11.5 crore left over in the bank to fill those slots, with the team looking for a replacement for Josh Inglis as their key piece of business in the market. PBKS also released Glenn Maxwell, freeing up their budget, and allowing them to go after a strong overseas middle order option next Tuesday.
While Ponting hasn't been provided dispensation to travel to the UAE for this auction, Daniel Vettori will be made available by the Australian cricket team. Vettori serves as assistant coach for the men's national team, and also as coach for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The auction will take place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16, where KKR have the highest budget and over 350 players will go under the hammer.
