Canada’s cricket board has included a former spinner of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) of the Indian Premier League, Ansh Patel, for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, as they become the 14th team to declare their squad for the mega event in India and Sri Lanka, starting on February 07.

The Punjab Kings bowler has been part of seven innings of the shortest format for six wickets at an average of 14.50 and an economy rate of below five. The side has a nice combination of youth and experience as they will look to impress further. Dilpreet Bajwa will lead the 15-member squad for the World Cup. 

See Also: Bangladesh players threaten to boycott cricket matches due to this shocking reason during BPL 2026 

Bajwa celebrated four half-centuries and carried a strike rate of 133.22 in the shortest format of the game. In Canada’s Super 60 T20 event last October, he notched up vital knocks of 57 runs in just 18 balls and 67 undefeated runs off just 22 balls. The opening batter, Yuvraj Sharma, is another big-hitter, having struck 27 sixes in 15 T20I innings at 160.72.

Ansh Patel named in Canada’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad

The former captain of the side, Saad Bin Zafar, Kaleem Sana, Dilon Heyliger, Nicholas Kirton, and Navneet Dhaliwal are also named in the same squad. The Canada side remains in Group D, along with South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They will open their campaign against the Proteas on February 09 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. All of their group matches are in India.

This will be the second appearance of the side at the T20 World Cup, having participated in the 2024 season, where they beat Ireland. They made it to the edition of the event by winning the Americas Regional Final. They were unbeaten throughout the entire tournament, winning all six of their matches.  

Canada’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad

Dilpreet Bajwa (captain), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Buttar, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra

The former Karnataka and Kolkata Knight Riders’ spinner, KC Cariappa, has decided to retire from Indian cricket as he aims to feature in the overseas franchise leagues around the world. The 31-year-old featured in 23 innings in first-class cricket, where he has earned 75 wickets at an average of 23.20 and a strike rate of 55.8, thanks to his 54-wicket haul and six 5-wicket hauls.

From Karnataka, Cariappa made the move to Mizoram, where he featured in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) and picked up one wicket in his last game against Manipur, besides picking two 3-wicket holes against Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. He has always been a very fine bowler in the shortest format of the game.

See Also: Watch: Virat Kohli celebrates 76th ODI half-century during IND vs NZ 1st ODI

In 20 innings of the domestic 50-over format, the spinner has picked up 24 wickets at an average of Justice over 31 and a strike rate of 43.2, thanks to his economy rate of 4.38 with the best figures of 3/28. In case of the T20s, he has picked up 58 wickets at an economy rate of 6.60 at an average of 24.62.

KC Cariappa retires from all forms of Indian cricket

Cariappa was part of two IPL franchises, the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Punjab Kings, from 2015 to 2019. In his very first season, he played just one game for Kolkata, where he picked a 1 wicket before featuring in nine clashes for the Punjab side, where he picked up seven wickets in nine innings before making his move back to Kolkata, where he played just one game again in 2019.

Since then, Cariappa has not played a single IPL game. However, just like some of the other players of Indian cricket- including Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shikhar Dhawan, and others- he also aims to feature in the overseas franchise leagues around the world, having retired from Indian cricket.

With the bat, he was not a regular candidate with an average of 26.47 in first-class cricket, having celebrated 4 half-centuries. Cariappa’s unusual action of the leg spin makes it harder for the batsman to pick him from the hand, which may also help him in future franchise leagues around the world.

The question of who KC Cariappa came to everyone’s mind when the Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions of the IPL 2015, put up a massive price of INR 2.4 crore, which was 24 times his base price of the leg spinner in that year’s auction. Curiously, both the BCCI and the Karnataka State Cricket Association had him listed as an off-break bowler.

At five feet 11 inches, the Karanatakaleg spinner is tall for any other spinners and bowls with an orthodox random action as the leg break is his stock delivery with variations like the googly and the faster ones. His other strength that could make it difficult for the batters to read him is his ability to bowl off-spinners without changing the grip.

See Also: Watch: “Spoke about social media…”- Ajinkya Rahane reveals mental toll of Harshit Rana after IND vs NZ 1st ODI

The 31-year-old decided to take his retirement from Indian cricket with 75 wickets in just fourteen first-class games at an average of 23.20, thanks to his five four-wicket and six five-wicket hauls at the best figures of 7/69 in an innings.

Know former KKR and PBKS spinner- Karnataka’s KC Cariappa

It was 2021 when he was not picked for the Karnataka side in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), before he aimed for redemption when he was picked for the Rajasthan Royals but did not feature in a single game of the season.

“It was a very depressing period for me when I was not part of the Karnataka team earlier this year. I did well last year in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but after that, things became bad for me. I was just roaming around in Bengaluru, and my fitness had taken a toll, but that is when Zubin (Bharucha) sir called me to ask me to come for the IPL trials. I was shocked that someone was asking me to come for trials because I had been lost for one year.” Cariappa claimed.  

“Zubin sir then called me and said, 'I've been following you since 2015, but what is wrong with you? What is wrong with your fitness? We like your bowling, but you have to get your fitness right.' And that was the moment when I found the motivation again, and I worked really hard to get back into shape. So I'm really thankful to him and to the Rajasthan Royals franchise.” The leg spinner concluded.

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) added a new dimension to their success with their runners-up finish in the IPL 2025 season. The franchise had struggled for a decade since its last final in 2014, but a major change in strategy last season turned things around.

PBKS invested heavily in young and uncapped Indian players in their starting eleven, and the results exceeded even the highest expectations. It was no surprise that the still-title-less franchise continued to focus on uncapped Indian cricketers in the recent 2026 auction.

Both of their Indian acquisitions in the auction were uncapped players, including the relatively unknown Vishal Nishad. Still under 21, Vishal is seen as a valuable addition to PBKS' leg-spin attack, alongside the experienced Yuzvendra Chahal.

Here are five interesting facts about PBKS’ latest uncapped signing, Vishal Nishad, the young leg-spinner.

Also Read -Hyundai named ICC premier partner for 2026–27 global cricket events

1. Struggles Moving from Tennis Ball to Leather Ball

Most young Indian players face big challenges on their way from childhood cricket to an IPL contract. Vishal Nishad is no different. He faced financial problems just to switch from tennis-ball to leather-ball cricket.

Growing up in a small village near Gorakhpur, Vishal played tennis-ball cricket on uneven surfaces because he could not afford a leather ball.

"I didn’t have money even to buy basic equipment," Vishal said in an interview (via Money Control).
His coach, Kalyan Singh, did not charge him any fees for three years, knowing about his financial struggles.

2. Vishal Nishad’s Journey to an IPL Contract

Vishal’s road to an IPL contract involved impressing several members of the PBKS support staff. Even though he started playing leather-ball cricket only four years ago, the 20-year-old quickly rose through the ranks and became important for the Gorakhpur Lions in the UPT20 League.

Uttar Pradesh captain Ankit Rajpoot, who is also a PBKS scout, recommended Vishal to head coach Ricky Ponting.

"Vishal impressed me a lot during the trials for the Gorakhpur Lions in 2024, and I thought he could make it to an IPL team. First, he bowled in nets for the Andhra Pradesh team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he was watched by AP’s mentor and Punjab Kings assistant coach, Trevor Gonsalves," Rajpoot said (via Hindustan Times).

He added, "After that, my suggestion, along with videos and pictures, met the expectations of Ricky Ponting and PBKS bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule."

Vishal has not yet played a match for Uttar Pradesh in any of the three formats, but has joined their camp for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Read More -Virat Kohli’s Vijay Hazare 2025-26 match at Chinnaswamy likely to be held without fans: Reports

3. A Virat Kohli Fan

Like many young Indian players, Vishal idolises Virat Kohli. In a recent interview, he said he has wanted to be like Kohli since school.

"I always wanted to be a cricketer like Virat Kohli. I would love to bowl to him if I ever get the chance. I left my studies after 12th grade for cricket and never miss watching Kohli play," said Vishal (via the same source).

Kohli is one of the greatest batters in cricket history, with nearly 28,000 runs and 84 centuries.

4. UP League Performances

Vishal Nishad’s most notable performances so far came in the 2024 UP T20 League for Gorakhpur Lions. The 20-year-old took seven wickets in four matches at an average of 14 and an economy rate of just 7.

His best bowling was 3/45 in four overs against the Noida Kings. In that game, he dismissed veteran IPL star Nitish Rana for just 14 runs.

Strong numbers. Strong impact.
Here’s why Punjab Kings invested in Vishal Nishad at the IPL auction.#IPL2026 #IPL #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/wbWAYi3lZn

— UP T20 League (@t20uttarpradesh) December 21, 2025

5. The Next Varun Chakravarthy?

Ankit Rajpoot, who guided Vishal’s cricket career, compared his bowling style to T20 star Varun Chakravarthy. Interestingly, Varun also made his IPL debut with PBKS, the team that signed Vishal in the 2026 auction.

"What I like most about Vishal is his bowling style. He is a mystery spinner like Varun Chakravarthy and Ajantha Mendis. It is hard to read his length. He can hit the stumps from anywhere," said Rajpoot.

Varun has become a top T20 bowler and is currently ranked No. 1 in T20Is.

While Punjab Kings didn't retain Josh Inglis ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, Lucknow Super Giants later signed the Australian cricketer by winning the mini-auction bid for INR 8.6 crore. Now, Inglis revealed that he wouldn't be available for the entire IPL 2026, and we are talking about the reason that he also revealed. 

I'm getting married in early April: Josh Inglis

Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis will marry in early April 2026. As the IPL 2026 will run between March 26 and May 31, he is unlikely to be available for the entire season. 

After a long time, Punjab Kings (PBKS) got it right in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting, as they ended as the runners-up of the campaign, losing the final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Punjab hopes to continue the same success mantra in the 2026 season.

One of the biggest reasons for the success of the franchise was their opening batter, Priyansh Arya, who smashed 475 runs in 17 innings at an average of 27.94 and a strike rate of 179.24 with the help of two half-centuries and one century at the best score of 103. He hopes to showcase another such edition with the bat.

See Also: “Ask for clarity…”- Robin Uthappa and Dale Steyn react to dense fog effect to abandon IND vs SA 4th T20I in Lucknow

Their captain, Shreyas Iyer, was equally excellent with the bat in the middle order of the side as they cracked 604 runs in 17 innings of the competition at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07, scoring six half-centuries at the best score of undefeated 97 runs.

Punjab Kings’ strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Punjab didn’t lift its paddle in the first five hours of the auction. They didn’t actually have any gap in the squad, apart from Josh Inglis, whom they left out, given he won’t be available for more than four games of the season due to his wedding. They also needed some injury placements, which they completed in the bidding war.

Punjab Kings full squad for IPL 2026

Harnoor Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shreyas Iyer, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ben Dwarshuis, Cooper Connolly, Harpreet Brar, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Owen, Musheer Khan, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Praveen Dubey, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Vishal Nishad, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur.

In the opening pair, the Kings won’t need to think much over Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, who drilled 549 runs in 17 innings of the last IPL at an average of 32.29 and a strike rate of 160.52 with the help of four half-centuries at the best score of 91. At number three, they will have Shreyas, followed by Nehal Wadhera at four.

Mitchell Owen can now straightaway come into the eleven at number five and blast the big shots he has been known for. But as his replacement, the franchise also signed the young and aggressive Australian batter, Cooper Connolly, who can also provide a few overs of left-arm spin.

In the middle order, the toss-up will be between Marcus Stoinis and Azmatullah Omarzai, where the latter is likely to get his place in the eleven. The Afghanistan star bowled really well in the last season and added some vital runs with the bat whenever required, and may look to continue the same in the 2026 campaign.

Shashank Singh can end up being at number seven as their impact player, having bailed them out on many occasions in the tournament. Marco Jansen has developed his skills with the bat and ball and can prove to be handy with the new ball and later in the death overs. Arshdeep Singh brings the left-arm angle into the game, while the rocket pace of Lockie Ferguson. Ben Dwarshuis could be his replacement.

And last but not least, Yuzvendra Chahal, who has a new career with the Punjab Kings, as he earned so much success in the IPL 2025.

PBKS strongest playing 11 for IPL 2026 after mini auction

Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk.), Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis/Azmatullah Omarzai, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson/Ben Dwarshuis.

Impact player: Yuzvendra Chahal.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) bought the young spin all-rounder of the Australian side, Cooper Connolly, for INR 3 crore ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. But their captain, Shreyas Iyer, who was present in the bidding war, felt that the young players weren’t part of their plan initially.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) started the bidding for Connolly, but Punjab had the last laugh. The 22-year-old is expected to make his debut in the next IPL, having already impressed with his bowling and batting in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the Perth Scorchers.

See Also: Watch: Video of cricket match amid dense fog in Delhi goes viral

“Honestly, he wasn't there in our mind at the start, but as we brainstormed and narrowed down our options, we realized he fit the position perfectly. He has a great temperament and the ability to finish games. Those characteristics matter a lot in IPL. However, we didn’t think we would get him for 3; we actually predicted his price would be much higher.” Iyer expressed at the end of the auction.

Shreyas Iyer drops shocking statement on Cooper Connolly

Connolly, the 22-year-old, has smashed a total of 705 runs in 29 innings of the shortest format at a strike rate of 136.36 with the help of three half-centuries at the best score of 66 runs. With the ball, he picked up 13 wickets in 21 innings at an economy rate of around eight. He can bowl at least two overs if required for the Kings.

However, Cooper has earned a massive success in the Big Bash League (BBL) history in 23 innings to collect 636 runs at an average of around 40 and a strike rate of 140.39 with the help of three half-centuries at the best score of 66 runs. His best season was last year when he clubbed 351 runs at a strike rate of 131.46.

Punjab Kings will hope to go a step further from the last season, where they ended as the runners-up after losing the final of the IPL 2025 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. 

Punjab Kings (PBKS), the runner-up of IPL 2025, entered into the IPL 2026 mini-auction with one of the smallest budgets among all teams. With ₹11.50 crore as the availability, which was the second lowest purse in the auction, PBKS was calm and did not get into early wars, waiting for the right pick at the right price.

The first purchase was made in the accelerated round, where Punjab Kings acquired young Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly for 3 crores. Connolly is a left-handed batter and also bowls slow left-arm spin. Kolkata Knight Riders showed interest and placed the opening bid at his base price, but PBKS pushed the price higher and successfully brought him into their squad.

Later on in the auctions, PBKS added more power to their fast bowlers by including the services of the Australian fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis in the reserve at the price of ₹4.40 crores. Adding more depth to the Indian talent pool, the franchise also picked Pravin Dubey and Vishal Nishad for ₹30 lakhs.

Punjab Kings Bought Players and Full Squad for IPL 2026

The Punjab Kings had an unforgettable season in the IPL 2025 under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer. They made it to the final for the first time in 11 years but lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six runs. Even though the PBKS could not get their hands on the trophy, they played well throughout the season. Because of this, the team management decided to make very few changes before the IPL 2026 auction.

The biggest name released by Punjab Kings was Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who failed to perform consistently and also suffered an injury during the 2025 season. Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis was also released. Apart from these changes, PBKS retained most of their core players to maintain stability and team balance.

See Also: IPL Auction 2026: Full squad and new bought players for Mumbai Indians

Punjab Kings Bought Players at IPL 2026 Auction

Cooper Connolly (₹3 crore), Ben Dwarshuis (₹4.40 crore), Pravin Dubey (₹30 lakh), Vishal Nishad (₹30 lakh)

Punjab Kings Full Squad for IPL 2026

Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyala Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Vishnu Vinod, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Pravin Dubey, Vishal Nishad.

Since the  England spinner, Adil Rashid, commented on his post, the usual routine of the 20-year-old leg spinner, Izaz Sawariya, was to wake up and check his Instagram story. He attracted a few hundred views before they racked up to thousands in a few days. The audience has grown to include the likes of Sunil Joshi as the scouts of various IPL sides showed their interest in him. 

His follower count in a few days has jumped from 600 to 20.6k in a span of just 30 minutes. On December 16, during the IPL 2026 mini auction in Abu Dhabi, he could end up getting an IPL side. His name is slotted at No. 265 in the fourth and final set of uncapped players. It will be interesting to see how the franchise goes for the spinner, only by seeing some videos.

See Also: Star Sports Mock Auction Results: Record bid for Cameron Green, KKR rope in Bairstow

“I come from an Air Force family. My father is posted in Gorakhpur with the 27th Squadron (Jaguar). Because of his postings, I grew up in Bidar, Karnataka. I joined Vijay Cricket Club in 2017. Initially, I was a fast bowler, but the coaches there asked me to focus on leg-spin.” Sawariya expressed to ESPNcricinfo.

Know Punjab Kings’ recommendation Izaz Sawariya for IPL 2026 auction

Sawariya looks up to Rajasthan, another local player. He also has a massive admiration for MS Dhoni, which is another reason for being more excited if the Chennai Super Kings raise the paddle.

Watch the video here: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ESPNcricinfo (@espncricinfo)

“The first two years were tough. I was part of the district setup, but I didn't get chances to play. Even last year, I wasn't given opportunities. That's when I started thinking differently. I thought of posting my reels. Honestly, when I started, I didn't think it would go this far. I just kept posting without thinking about the results.” The 20-year-old noted.

“Every day after practice, I had some time. I would shoot a reel and post it. One reel after practice, almost daily. That became my routine. We haven't spoken properly, but we've exchanged messages on Instagram. He told me I was very good and complimented my bowling.” Sawariya concluded.

The countdown has started for the IPL 2026 auction, which is scheduled to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. It is a one-day event that will start at 1pm local time (2.30pm IST). For the high-voltage event, Shreyas Iyer arrived in Dubai to represent Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the auction.

The franchise has shared a specially edited video to capture the arrival of their 'Sarpanch' in style. The video is full of swagger. To add some feel, the video has the recent viral soundtrack from Akshaye Khanna's latest movie, 'Dhurandhar'. With the essence from the movie and the soundtrack, the video shared by PBKS attracted a lot of attention from netizens without wasting any time. Through the video we can see Iyer stepped out of a black BMW.

He is all set to represent in the PBKS auction pavilion. It was reported before that their head coach Ricky Ponting is uncertain for the auction, so Iyer will take his place at the table, which will be a big moment for the cricketer as it shows how much the franchise trusts their skipper. After an impressive season, PBKS retained most of their previous players. From the auction, they can rope in 4, including 2 overseas players, with a purse of INR 11.50 crore.

Read More: IND vs SA 3rd T20I: India vs South Africa highlights and key performances

Watch Shreyas Iyer's entry here

CAPTAIN SHREYAS IYER IS READY FOR THE IPL AUCTION...!!!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mpwy7Rl3LS

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 15, 2025

PBKS retained players list for the IPL 2026 season:

Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash, Marco Jansen, and Lockie Ferguson.

Purse remaining: INR 11.50 crore out of INR 125 crore

Slots remaining: 4 (2 overseas)