Marco Jansen Eyes Winning Start for Punjab Kings in IPL 2026 Opener

"For me personally, it's just about always wanna come here and give my best and put the team in a winning position," Jansen said ahead of the match.

The South African all-rounder added that his break after the T20 World Cup allowed him to spend quality time with family before returning to India.

"It was good. I spent some time with the family, my sisters, my mom, my dad, obviously my brother as well. He was playing cricket back home. And then yeah, went to the farm for a few days, spent some time in the bush. And then yeah, got back here to India," he said.

Jansen also credited his development to working with different coaches and learning from teammates in franchise cricket.

"I think the coaching staff has helped me a lot. Dealing with different coaches, having to work with different coaches across the world, picking their brains. And obviously, the domestic players here in the IPL last year, especially has helped me a lot, Arshdeep in particular and Shreyas Iyer from a captaincy point of view," he added.

Having featured in multiple IPL seasons, Jansen believes his understanding of Indian conditions has improved significantly over time.

"I think that's (having played cricket in India) helped me a lot in terms of how to play better or be more consistent in Indian conditions. I remember previously, when I was younger, I just struggled quite a bit with the bounce and then with the spin as well. And I think spending time here playing in the IPL for numerous years now has helped a lot regarding that," he said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Kings enjoyed a stellar campaign in IPL 2025, finishing as runners-up and marking one of their best performances in the tournament's history.

Jansen also had a good season with the ball in IPL 2025, where he took 16 wickets at an average of 27.13.

- IANS