Lockie Ferguson To Miss Start Of IPL 2026 For Punjab Kings

Lockie Ferguson will miss the early phase of IPL 2026 to spend time with his family after the birth of his new child.

New Zealand speedster Lockie Ferguson has confirmed that he will miss the initial phase of IPL 2026 after recently becoming a father. The Punjab Kings pacer revealed that he intends to spend quality time with his family before joining the squad later in the tournament.

“Just had a son, trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help the wife out,” Ferguson said ahead of the third T20I against South Africa. “I’ll have a few weeks off after this, before heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter.”

Recent Form and Injury Comeback Boost Confidence

Ferguson was recently seen in action during the T20I series against South Africa, where he made an immediate impact with a three-wicket haul in Hamilton, helping New Zealand level the series. He is also set to feature in the third T20I at Eden Park before taking a short break.

“Really looking forward to some time at home and then back into some cricket after that,” he said. “Sometimes the hard part is deciding when to take a rest. This feels like the right time, especially since my wife was looking after the baby while I was at the World Cup.”

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The pacer had an injury-interrupted IPL 2025 season, where he was forced off the field after bowling just two deliveries against Sunrisers Hyderabad due to a serious thigh issue. However, his return to international cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup has been a positive sign for both New Zealand and Punjab Kings.

Lockie Ferguson Committed to New Zealand

Despite speculation around his workload and availability, Ferguson has made it clear that he remains fully committed to international cricket and has no immediate plans to step away from the game.

“They thought this was my last game,” he said with a smile. “No, I’m still very committed to play for New Zealand. I really enjoyed my time with the group in India. We have high expectations as a team. We didn’t quite get the results we wanted, but there was still a lot to be proud of.”

“I’m looking forward to the next two World Cups. There is a great opportunity for this squad. I am still very keen and working hard to make sure I can contribute at a high level.”

In Ferguson’s absence, Punjab Kings still boast a strong pace attack, featuring names like Arshdeep Singh, Ben Dwarshuis, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Xavier Bartlett, and Yash Thakur. Additionally, their all-round options, including Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, and Marcus Stoinis, provide further balance to the squad as they aim to build on their runners-up finish last season.