Given that the South African all-rounder was one of the final group of players to leave India after the T20 World Cup due to logistical concerns, Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting has allowed Marco Jansen’s late arrival for IPL 2026.
After finishing their T20 World Cup campaigns, players from South Africa and the West Indies were stranded in India for over a week. Some of players, such as Proteas batsman David Miller and West Indies head coach Daren Sammy, also expressed their annoyance at the delay in their departure from India as key airports like Dubai and Abu Dhabi were unable to operate because of the Middle East turmoil.
On March 26, Jansen, an important PBKS unit member, will join the team. On March 21, Ponting and most of the foreign players will join the team. On March 23, Afghanistan’s all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai will travel from Kabul to join the squad. His country is presently engaged in a military conflict with Pakistan.
The combination of Ponting and Shreyas Iyer in their first season with PBKS led the team to its IPL final since 2014. Captain Iyer is expected to join the team on March 19.
“Ricky fully supports his players. Considering Marco left late from India, he understands the need for giving him adequate time at home,” PTI quoted a source as saying.
Last season, the lanky left-arm bowler claimed 16 wickets at an economy rate of 9.20.
The airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are still well below capacity, which presents another difficulty for the teams when it comes to scheduling players’ journey from the west.
The Punjab Kings’ 2026 season will begin on March 31 at home against the Gujarat Titans. On April 3, they travel to Chennai to play CSK.
