Maxwell among players Punjab Kings are set to release

Punjab Kings (PBKS) are set to release at least seven players ahead of the auction for IPL 2026 with Glenn Maxwell being the prominent name. Maxwell played seven games in IPL 2025 before sustaining a fractured finger midway through the season. He scored only 48 runs in six innings, including single-digit scores in each of his last four games, with a best of 30 for the runners-up, and picked up four wickets.

He was replaced by fellow Australian Mitchell Owen, who rose to prominence through his exploits for BBL champions Hobart Hurricanes last year. He topped the run-scoring charts in BBL 13 - his 452 runs coming at a strike rate of 203.60 and featuring two hundreds. However, he had a forgettable IPL debut, scoring a two-ball duck in his only appearance. PBKS, though, are set to retain Owen, who was procured at his base price of INR 3 crore.

Maxwell, who retired from ODIs in June, was bought by PBKS at the 2025 auction for INR 4.2 crore. It was his third stint with PBKS, his fourth IPL team, having played for them from 2014 to 2017 and then in 2021. So far in T20Is this year, Maxwell has 171 runs at a strike rate of 169.30 with a best of 62 not out against South Africa in Cairns.

The other players PBKS are set to release include Aaron Hardie, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Sen, Praveen Dubey and Vishnu Vinod. Jamieson had come in as a replacement for the injured Lockie Ferguson and picked up five wickets in the four matches he played. Dubey played just the one game while none of Hardie, Sen and Vinod made any appearance for PBKS in IPL 2025.