Punjab Kings suffered a body blow in the form of pacer, Lockie Ferguson, who in the words of the bowling coach James Hopes "sustained a pretty decent injury." Ferguson went down in the game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad clutching his quad just after bowling a couple of balls. The Kings suffered because of his absence and will be keen to get a replacement as soon as they can, given how well he performed and will be a big miss for them.
"Ferguson is out indefinitely, and the chances of us getting him back by the end of the tournament are very slim, I would have thought," Hopes said ahead of PBKS vs KKR clash. Here's a look at replacement options Punjab Kings can eye:
1. Richard Gleeson
Richard Gleeson was one of the strike bowlers for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20 2025. Called in as a replacement in IPL 2025 by the Chennai Super Kings, Gleeson has mastered the art of all-phase bowling playing for Lancashire and the franchise leagues around the world. In the SA20, Gleeson was captain Aiden Markram's most dependable weapon, taking 14 wickets in the tournament in 13 matches, the joint-second most. Gleeson can play the Ferguson role with perfection for the Kings.
2. Jacob Duffy
The highest wicket-taker in international cricket in 2025, Duffy has taken to T20 cricket like fish to water. Started more as a powerplay striker, Duffy has bloomed into an all-phase bowler for New Zealand and was recently the Player of the Series against New Zealand after equalling the Kiwi record for most wickets in a bilateral T20 series - 13. Duffy swings the ball early and has multiple defensive options to keep the batters in check in the middle as well as death phases.
3. Will O'Rourke
Another quality hit-the-deck option for Punjab Kings could be Will O'Rourke, who as they say bowls the heavy ball and is a genuine wicket-taking option. O'Rourke had a stunning Champions Trophy for New Zealand and his ability to rush the batters while being accurate could come in handy for the Kings, especially on fast wickets at Mullanpur and Dharamsala.