Punjab Kings’ well-rounded bowling attack has become a defining force in their IPL 2026 campaign, earning high praise from former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis. He believes the team’s strength lies in its ability to use a range of wicket-taking options across different phases of the game.
Following PBKS’ dominant 54-run win over the Lucknow Super Giants, du Plessis highlighted how the side’s diverse bowling resources allow them to stay a step ahead, adapting seamlessly to match situations while maintaining an attacking edge.
“When we are talking about putting bowling attacks together, you want variety. As a captain, you’ve got all the different guns at your disposal that you can just pull the trigger at different stages, and that’s what
gives them very, very great variety in their bowling attack,” Faf du Plessis was quoted as saying on ESPNcricinfo.
PBKS Bowling Attack – An Arsenal!
He noted that PBKS’ attack is built around genuine wicket-taking options rather than defensive containment, making them a constant threat to opposition batters.
“You have to look at what they have in their team. It’s not a team that is lacking offensive skill sets. Their skill sets can go defensive. But you look at the names in that bowling attack, it’s all frontline attacking bowlers – Marco Jansen, (Xavier) Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh. It is all genuine wicket-takers with the new ball there, with the skill set of swinging the ball; tall bowlers getting bounce; Arshdeep is a good yorker bowler with the new ball. So it’s not by chance that they are one of the better bowling units,” he said.
PBKS’ ability to shift between attacking and defensive modes while still maintaining a wicket-taking mindset was another key factor that the former Proteas captain identified as crucial to their success.
“They can switch to defensive, but also, as a batter, if you are fronting up against them, you feel like they can get you out at any stage as well,” he said.
He further stressed the depth of their bowling resources, pointing to the presence of additional impact players who can step in and deliver when required.
“Guys like (Vijaykumar) Vyshak can then come in and do their thing. Yuzvendra Chahal is an attacking spinner. Yes, he can be defensive, but his method is he gets wickets.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
