Punjab Kings had a near-perfect season in IPL 2025, narrowly missing out on securing their maiden title. Shreyas Iyer and co. found the perfect balance across departments, with contributions coming from all quarters of the side. While veterans like Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh among others did play their roles to perfection, it was the youngsters in the side who stood out and created huge impact for the team.
From the young opening duo of Priyansh Arya & Prabhsimran Singh to Nehal Wadhera, PBKS have a lot of gems in the form of youngsters who will become integral members of the side in the future. Ahead of the November 15 deadline for teams to finalize on retentions, let’s take a look at 5 youngsters who PBKS should retain for IPL 2026.
5 youngsters PBKs should retain for IPL 2026
1. Priyansh Arya
Making his IPL debut in 2025 at 24 years of age, the opener was amongst the best batters in the side and one of the most consistent as well. Acing his role as an opener to perfection, Arya amassed 475 runs from 17 matches, including having scored a scintillating century. His ability to strike at will and his chemistry with fellow opener Prabhsimran Singh made him a force to be reckoned with. Arya’s retention, therefore, is a no-brainer.
2. Prabhsimran Singh
Although the 25-year-old made his IPL debut way back in 2019, he has grown leaps and bounds over the last three seasons. Prabhsimran seemed to have hit his peak in IPL 2025 as he finished the season with 549 runs from 17 matches, scoring four half-centuries.
3. Nehal Wadhera
Nehal Wadhera justified his Rs 4.2 crore price tag with a standout season for him in 2025. The batter scored 369 runs from 16 matches, averaging 30.75. His consistent performances in the middle-order helped PBKS on multiple occasions as he carried on the onslaught that was unleashed before him by the openers and captain Iyer.
4. Suryansh Shedge
The 22-year-old all-rounder has shown glimpses of his abilities with both bat and ball in domestic cricket for Mumbai. Bought for Rs 30 lakh, Shedge was used by PBKS in just 5 matches where he managed to score just 7 runs and went wicketless. Nevertheless, the young all-rounder is someone PBKS won’t mind having in their squad.
5. Musheer Khan
The talented Mumbai batter featured in just one game in IPL 2025 but has immense potential to go on to become one of PBKS’ best batters in the future.
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