Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 7 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra hailed Punjab Kings (PBKS) as 'one of the teams to beat' in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Chopra noted PBKS' strong batting unit, relying on young Indian players, and said that the team is being managed well by the captain, Shreyas Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting.

PBKS ended their last season as the runners-up, facing a defeat against this season's defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In the IPL 2026, PBKS started with two wins in two matches and then shared a point with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after their match ended in a no-result due to rain.

Speaking on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Aakash Chopra said Punjab Kings are a strong contender this season, highlighting their impressive form and the batting approach built around young Indian players, which has worked effectively despite limited international experience. 'Punjab Kings are definitely one of the teams to beat. They were outstanding last season, reached the final, and have started this season strongly as well. What makes them different is their batting. They rely heavily on young Indian players with limited international experience, supported by overseas players, and yet it all comes together really well,' he said.

Notably, in the IPL 2025 season, youngsters Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya shone for PBKS with the bat, scoring 549 and 475 runs, respectively. Captain Shreyas Iyer led the batting charts with 604 runs in the season.

Aakash Chopra further noted that while Punjab Kings' bowling isn't exceptional, it gets the job done, and praised the leadership of Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting. He added that the team was unlucky with the abandoned match, as they likely would have backed themselves to win based on their current form.

'Their bowling isn't extraordinary, but it's effective, and the team is being managed brilliantly by Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting. Having said that, they'll feel a bit hard done by with this abandoned game because on current form, they would have backed themselves to win it more often than not,' he said.

PBKS will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next match at the IPL 2026 on April 11. (ANI)