Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has picked the presence of Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal among the strengths for Punjab Kings for the upcoming IPL 2026. Chahal and Singh were bought for INR 18 crore each in IPL 2025 mega auction.
Meanwhile, Singh and Chahal were retained by the Mohali-based franchise ahead of IPL 2026 mini-auction. Chopra said both the bowlers are wicket-takers and they will look to be at their best.
While Chahal is currently out of the Indian team, Singh was part of the T20 World Cup winning side. The left-arm seamer scalped nine wickets in eight matches of the tournament at an average of 28.22 and an economy rate of 8.46.
“Two incredible wicket-takers, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzi Chahal. I don’t think Yuzi Chahal’s game is declining at all. If he had been in any other country, he would have been a part of their World Cup team. He will spin a web, and Arshdeep Singh, who has lifted consecutive World Cup trophies, will be there with him. When you have a minimum of eight overs of wicket-taking ability, then you control the narrative a little more,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
The renowned commentator said the presence of many all-rounders is also PBKS’ strength ahead of IPL 2026.
“They have a factory of all-rounders, which includes Azmatullah Omarzai, Cooper Connolly, Marco Jansen, Musheer Khan, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis and Suryansh Shedge. In fact, Harpreet Brar also bats decently. So they have got plenty of all-round options. Josh Inglis left and Cooper Connolly has come in his place,” he observed.
Chopra said uncapped Indian players like Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Nehal Wadhera, and Shashank Singh have performed consistently for the team.
“This team has combined all five fingers to make a fist. This is something that we must admire. Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh came as a breath of fresh air. In fact, their entire story was built around uncapped Indians, who were empowered, whether it was Nehal Wadhera, both openers or Shashank Singh. Everybody felt liberated,” he said.
The former KKR batter said PBKS play a fearless brand of cricket and have great batting depth.
“It seemed like everyone was playing fearlessly and carefree. They don’t have the fear of anything. They aren’t worried about anything. This has been this team’s philosophy. I will count it as a strength as dangerous teams don’t fear. They have played cricket without fear. There is an immense amount of batting depth, which goes till Marco Jansen. They do bat really deep,” Chopra elaborated.
Punjab Kings will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against the Gujarat Titans at Mullanpur on 31st March.
