Irfan Pathan picks MI and PBKS playing XI and Impact Player options after IPL 2026 auction

New Delhi [India], December 17 (ANI): Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has picked Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) playing XI and Impact Player options, following the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction held on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi.
In a video posted on Pathan's YouTube channel on Wednesday, the former Indian all-rounder backed Quinton de Kock to open the batting for Rohit Sharma. In the middle order, Pathan picked up Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya.
"When you go into an auction and, like a cool cat, still manage to buy Quinton de Kock at base price, it means you are Mumbai. They do wonders at auctions, and once again we saw that kind of brilliance this time. I feel there was also a bit of a luck factor behind the Quinton de Kock buy, because they haven't lifted the trophy in some time. They want to win the trophy with such a strong team and also bring in a bit of luck along with it," Pathan said.
Pathan picked up all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who was traded from Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the auction for Rs 2 crore. In the spin department, Pathan chose Mayank Markande, and he completed his playing XI by picking Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah.
Irfan Pathan's Mumbai Indians playing XI for IPL 2026: Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Sherfane Rutherford, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult.
Impact Player options: Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Allah Ghazanfar.
Pathan also revealed his predicted Punjab Kings (PBKS) playing XI and Impact Player options. The former cricketer picked up Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh as their openers, followed by Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis.
Irfan picked up PBKS' new signing Cooper Connolly, and he hopes thatthe Australian all-rounder could offer more consistency to the franchise during the IPL 2026 season.
"When Josh Inglis left and then Maxwell also retired, you needed replacements, so they brought in Cooper Connolly. They are thinking of him as a like-for-like replacement. He is a left-handed batter who keeps his bat low and impressed a lot with the way he played against India in the ODI series Australia played. He also bowls left-arm spin, so he is a good pick. He is expected to be more consistent than Maxwell, and hopefully he will get opportunities," Pathan said.
Pathan's next pick was Marco Jansen and suggested that PBKS could choose between Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vyshak or Yash Thakur depending on the pitch conditions. Lockie Ferguson and Arshdeep Singh was also picked in Pathan's playing XI.
Irfan Pathan's Punjab Kings playing XI for IPL 2026: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas lyer, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Cooper Connolly, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar/Vijaykumar Vishak/Yash Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh.
Impact Player option: Yuzvendra Chahal. (ANI)