Punjab Kings are moving in the right direction: Irfan Pathan

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan says Punjab Kings are finally “moving in the right direction” after making smart and bold choices at the auction table, raising hopes of ending their long wait for an Indian Premier League title.

Speaking on ‘IPL Today Live’, Pathan credited Punjab’s improved clarity in leadership and squad-building for their turnaround. Punjab finished as runner-up last season, losing the close final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

“Leadership has played a huge role in Punjab’s turnaround. You win half the IPL at the auction table. Big purses don’t necessarily mean you will always get what you want, but they did, and they reached the final,” he said.

Pathan pointed out that the franchise has not shied away from taking tough calls, including releasing underperforming players such as Glenn Maxwell, while also strengthening their bench.

“They took bold but important calls… and now you see all-rounders like Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen and Marcus Stoinis, along with a young Indian batting core. They also went all-out for Shreyas Iyer after deciding he would be the captain. There is clarity of thought, and I feel Punjab have started to move in the right direction,” he said.

Pathan also reflected on Delhi Capitals’ past struggles, particularly in identifying and nurturing talent.

“When you let go of players like AB de Villiers, and you had Andre Russell, starting from scratch is not easy. There were discussions about giving Russell more opportunities, but they just couldn’t find a place for him consistently. Identification of talent is very important, and I feel Delhi used to fall short in that area,” he said.

Fellow expert Aakash Chopra underlined that instability has historically hurt both Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals.

“Where there is no success, teams keep chopping and changing. One team has had 15 captains, the other has had 17. If you want to change your present, stability is non-negotiable,” he said.

However, Chopra acknowledged Delhi’s improved consistency in recent years and backed them as a stronger unit on paper heading into the 2026 season.

“Kudos to Delhi, because since 2019, they have consistently been there or thereabouts, and made the final in 2020… this year, I feel they have a very strong unit,” he said.

“On paper, I think Delhi is a more complete unit, with enough backups for almost every slot except the two spinners, but you won’t find backups for Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav even in the entire country,” he added.