Massive setback for Punjab Kings, Lockie Ferguson to miss early part of IPL 2026 due to family reason

Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) will have to manage without Lockie Ferguson for the opening stages of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The New Zealand speedster has opted to delay his arrival in India to spend quality time with his family following the birth of his child. This decision allows the new father a much-needed break before diving into the high-intensity tournament.

Lockie Ferguson to miss the start of IPL 2026

This move follows a busy international schedule for the 34-year-old, who previously took a brief paternity leave during the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, due to the Black Caps qualifying for the Super Eights, his time at home was cut short as he had to rejoin the national squad, making this current period of rest a priority.

ALSO READ: Big blow to CSK, star player ruled out of IPL 2026 due to hamstring injury

Despite Ferguson's temporary absence, the PBKS squad remains well-equipped with a deep roster of fast-bowling talent. The team has plenty of reliable options to lead the attack, including Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, and Xavier Bartlett. Additionally, they can look to Ben Dwarshuis, Yash Thakur, and Vyshak Vijaykumar, along with versatile all-rounders like Azmatullah Omarzai and Marcus Stoinis, to fill the void.

"Just had a wee son. Trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help the wife out... I’ll have a few weeks off after this, before sort of heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter,” Ferguson said, as quoted by Cricinfo.

"Always a pleasure playing for the Black Caps, really enjoyed my time in India with the group again and unfortunate the injuries played out earlier in the season. Really wanted to play some home cricket and feel just privileged to be able to play in front of the home crowd," he added.

ALSO READ: Watch: Bhuvneshwar Kumar stuns Virat Kohli with unplayable yorker ahead of IPL 2026

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, Praveen Dubey, Vishal Nishad