Punjab Kings acquired Cooper Connolly for INR 3 crore from his base price of INR 2 crore, at the IPL 2026 mini auction on Tuesday. Connolly is a batting all-rounder from Australia and has played in a Test match. Meanwhile, the franchise also roped in Ben Dwarshuis for INR 4.4 crore and Pravin Dubey for ₹30 lakh.
PBKS retained much of their core for the upcoming season, and Shreyas Iyer will once again lead the side next season. They have also retained the likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai and Marco Jasen. Even Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh have been retained.
Iyer, who was present during the mini auction, said, “There is no pressure as such. We had several meetings before coming here, and the way we have planned and prepared, everyone feels quite relaxed. We know exactly what we want.”
In the mini auction, head coach Ricky Ponting was not seen as he did not travel to Abu Dhabi due to his prior commentary obligation for the Ashes between England and Australia. However, Shreyas was seen at the table alongside co-owner Ness Wadia.
“From retaining two [in the 2025 auction] to 21, it’s a dream. We have very little to do in the auction tomorrow, so we have come here to see what other teams do. If we find the right player at the right price, we might step in," said Ness Wadia in an official release.
{{/usCountry}}“From retaining two [in the 2025 auction] to 21, it’s a dream. We have very little to do in the auction tomorrow, so we have come here to see what other teams do. If we find the right player at the right price, we might step in," said Ness Wadia in an official release.
{{/usCountry}}“Without a doubt, a mini-auction is more difficult because you are looking for a top-up. While you are doing that, others are topping up too. Some have bigger purses, while yours is different. But like I said, we have retained 21 players, so as far as we’re concerned, we are set," he added.
Full list of players acquired by PBKS in the mini auction: Cooper Connolly (INR 3 crore), Ben Dwarshuis (INR 4.4 crore), Pravin Dubey (INR 30 lakh), and Vishal Nihad (INR 30 lakh).
Previously retained players: 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.