"I am not hearing good stories about Lockie Ferguson" - Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings' issues heading into IPL 2026

Former India player Aakash Chopra has picked the Punjab Kings' (PBKS) bowling as a potential concern for the franchise heading into IPL 2026. He expressed uncertainty about Lockie Ferguson's availability for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.

PBKS spent ₹8 crore to acquire four players at the IPL 2026 auction. Ferguson, who was bought for ₹2 crore at the IPL 2025 auction, was one of their retentions.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener pointed out that the Punjab Kings didn't have to shop much at the IPL 2026 auction. However, he highlighted the IPL 2025 runners-up's dependency on overseas seamers, with Ferguson's potential unavailability being a concern.

"They bought only four players because they had retained 21. When you have so many retained players, you don't need to buy much. Glenn Maxwell has left the IPL, so they had to take someone else. They have taken Cooper Connolly for ₹3 crore, which I think was a phenomenal buy, Ben Dwarshuis, Pravin Dubey and Vishal Nishad," Chopra said. "They are more dependent on overseas fast bowling, beyond Arshdeep Singh. They have taken Ben Dwarshuis. Marco Jansen, who is in phenomenal form, is already available. I am not hearing good stories about Lockie Ferguson. I don't know whether he will be available and fit, or else I really rate Lockie highly," he added.

While acknowledging that PBKS have a plethora of seam-bowling options, Chopra opined that they lack a little depth in the bowling department.

"They had taken Mitchell Owen earlier and they had retained him. They have another bowler in Xavier Bartlett. Azmatullah Omarzai, Vijaykumar Vyshak - so it's not like they don't have bowlers, but they are still a little light in bowling," he observed.

Lockie Ferguson played only four games for the Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 before being ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a leg injury. He recently suffered a calf injury while playing for the Desert Vipers in the ongoing ILT20.

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"This is one thing that troubles them slightly" - Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings' spin-bowling issue heading into IPL 2026

Yuzvendra Chahal is one of the spinners in the Punjab Kings' lineup. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that the Punjab Kings weren't able to strengthen their spin-bowling department much in the IPL 2026 auction.

"I felt they would strengthen the spin department a little more. With the players they have taken, it hasn't been a serious upgrade in the spin department. They have an excellent bowler in Yuzvendra Chahal and Harpreet Brar is a utility player, but after them, you find that there isn't much depth in spin bowling. This is one thing that troubles them slightly," he said.

To conclude, the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player opined that PBKS would continue to show faith in uncapped Indians, with Cooper Connolly bolstering the overseas contingent.

"The batting fired for a long time and very well last year, but bowling is a little bit of a weak link. The huge faith they have shown in uncapped Indians, they will go with the same philosophy here, and Cooper Connolly is a very valuable addition," Chopra observed.

The Punjab Kings rely on uncapped Indians in the batting department. While Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya open for the two-time finalists, Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh play crucial roles in the middle order.

Edited by Kartik Iyer