Punjab Kings have provided an important update regarding the availability of Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai.
Omarzai had not played any matches for PBKS in IPL 2026 and had flown home for personal reasons. A report by Cricbuzz has confirmed his return date to the squad.
Azmatullah Omarzai returned home following his mother’s death
It is learnt that the all-rounder returned home after his mother had died. On April 28, PBKS players paid tribute to her by wearing black armbands during their game against Rajasthan Royals.
During the toss of that game, Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer had expressed his condolences. “On behalf of the whole team, I just want to convey our heartfelt condolences to Azmat and his family. We are with him through thick and thin,” he had said.
Cricbuzz has now confirmed that Omarzai will rejoin the squad on May 7. This means that he will not be available for PBKS’ matches against GT on May 3 and against SRH on May 6, respectively.
Azmatullah Omarzai in IPL
Although he did not play in 2026, Omarzai was brought for INR 2.6 crores in 2025 and played an important part in PBKS’ run to the final.
Before the IPL, Azmatullah Omarzai was an important part of the Afghanistan side in the T20 World Cup earlier this year. Although Afghanistan suffered a first-round exit, he was the team’s highest wicket-taker with 9 wickets in 4 matches, including a 4-wicket haul against the UAE.
In IPL 2025, Azmatullah Omarzai took 8 wickets in 9 matches. Before that, he played for the Gujarat Titans in 2024, taking 4 wickets in 7 matches.
Apart from their on-field success, PBKS have been involved in a few controversies in IPL 2026.
The controversies mostly arose from social media when the Rajasthan Royals decided to take a shot at the franchise. PBKS’ Harpreet Brar did not take to that kindly and called for revenge instead.
Punjab then celebrated RR’s loss to Delhi Capitals on May 1, but the Royals’ social media team decided not to stay quiet.
Punjab Kings in IPL 2026
With 13 points from their 8 matches, the Punjab Kings are comfortably at the top of the points table. In their first 7 matches, they had 6 wins and 1 no-result. Their unbeaten streak ended in their last match as RR beat them on April 28.
PBKS will face the Gujarat Titans on May 3 in Ahmedabad. The two teams had started their IPL 2026 seasons against one another with Punjab winning. In fact, each of PBKS’ next three matches in IPL 2026 are repeat fixtures against teams they have already beaten before.
As mentioned before, Azmatullah Omarzai will not be available for Punjab’s next two matches, so the earliest PBKS could pick him would be for their match against Delhi Capitals on May 11. Punjab have already beaten DC once this season, when they put up a world record chase of 265.
