A little under four months remain for the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League but buzz around the tournament has already begun, as expected. While the retention list announcement on November 15 created a big spark, all eyes are now on the mini-auction that is slated to be held on December 16. One of the sides that had a quiet trading window is Punjab Kings and they have another major concern now.
PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer has been out of action since India's second ODI against Australia in Adelaide where he injured himself while taking the catch of Alex Carey. The impact of the injury was intense and not only did Iyer miss the remainder of the series, but has also been on rehab ever since, having also been taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at a Sydney hospital.
Will Iyer be fit in time for IPL 2026? That is the big question right now for the Punjab Kings. That he will miss India's white-ball engagements at home against South Africa and New Zealand is a foregone conclusion. According to RevSportz, the latest update from Iyer's camp is that he would need a bare minimum of seven to eight weeks to recover fully.
It must be noted that this is only for the rehabilation process to end, following which Iyer will have to build up his workload steadily, so that he can handle the high-intensity of competitive cricket once more. As things stand, Iyer would need till the end of February if we factor in an extra month for workload management.
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IPL 2026 is slated to start from March 15 and that means that he is racing against time to be available for the tournament. Going by his current recovery graph, Iyer should be available for selection from the opening game itself. His non-selection in the shortest format means that he doesn't have to worry about the 2026 T20 World Cup that will be held prior to the IPL.
Iyer suffered an abdomen injury while tumbling over after taking the catch of Carey at the Adelaide Oval. Laceration of his spleen was coupled with internal bleeding, creating a critical medical condition for the 30-year-old. Fortunately, he was hospitalised just in time and has remained stable over the last three weeks.