Top 3 players Punjab Kings can release ahead of IPL 2027 auction

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) finished the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season in fifth position in the points table and failed to qualify for the Playoffs of the event, despite starting the season with a bang. The Shreyas Iyer-led side’s campaign could be divided into two halves, with the first one seeing them win six out of the seven, while the second saw them lose six successive encounters. 

Punjab could make a few significant changes to their IPL 2027 squad before the auction. Despite having a strong group of players, the team struggled to maintain balance and consistency in the second half of the competition. The management may now look to take a few bold decisions before the auction.

With Shreyas leading the side, Punjab have a solid Indian core with players like Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, and Shashank Singh, along with their captain. Arshdeep Singh is reportedly moving out of the franchise to the Mumbai Indians, who are trading the premier Indian all-rounder, Hardik Pandya.

The three players PBKS can release: Salaries, form and the purse savings

Releasing a few certain players could help PBKS free up a little money in the purse and target better options at the mini-auction. None of these releases are confirmed, but here are the three probable top players whom the Punjab franchise could consider releasing ahead of the IPL 2027 auction-

#3 Shashank Singh (INR 5.50 crore)-

Shashank Singh came to the Punjab Kings for a reasonable price of INR 5.50 crore in the 2025 season. The right-handed batter didn’t enjoy a strong season in the 2026 season, when he smashed 132 runs in nine innings at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 188.57 with just one half-century at the best score of 56 runs.

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The biggest issue for Shashank was the poor fielding. He dropped several catches in the middle, and most of those cost them big in the result of the game. The PBKS side may think of leaving out the 34-year-old before the 2027 auction and get the star player back for a lower price, which would anyway be an advantage for the IPL 2025 runners-up.

#2 Ben Dwarshuis (INR 4.40 crore)-

By releasing the left-arm pacer of the Australian side, Ben Dwarshuis, ahead of the auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027, the Punjab side will add INR 4.40 crore to their purse. They could not use the pacer in the best way in the previous edition, as he played just one game in the entire event, which was against the Mumbai Indians in Dharamshala.

Ben didn’t look IPL-ready at all. In that clash, he picked up just one wicket and was smacked for 51 runs at an economy rate of nearly 13. There will be better options available in the mini-auction of the IPL 2027, and Punjab will have the chance to inject experience into their bowling setup.

#1 Marcus Stoinis (INR 11 crore)-

With the reported inclusion of Hardik in the Punjab side, along with South Africa’s Marco Jansen and Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai, the franchise may not want another overseas all-rounder, and at the end, Australia’s Marcus Stoinis could be axed, and that would free up INR 11 crore before the auction, which opens the door for the management on December 16.

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The all-rounder didn’t deliver with the bat or ball, besides being dropped in the middle of the competition. He picked only two wickets in four innings at an average of 49 and got 205 runs at a strike rate of 137.58. The price is the biggest reason Punjab could leave Stoinis before the upcoming auction of the competition.

They will need some money to get a fine new ball pacer after the reported trade of Arshdeep before 2027.