After PBKS snub, Josh Inglis confirms availability ahead of IPL 2026 Auction

After a last-minute release from Punjab Kings squad, Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis has entered the IPL 2026 Auction, which is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16. PBKS released Inglis after head coach Ricky Ponting confirmed that he would not be available for most parts of the Indian Premier League in March-May. However, despite that, Inglis has registered for the auction at a base price of Rs 2 crore. But he will be available for only 4 matches or about two weeks.

Josh Inglis could not commit to a full season of IPL 2026 as he is getting married during that window. And that prompted PBKS to offload him despite picking him up for just Rs 2.6 crore. Inglis, who made his IPL debut last season, played 11 matches for PBKS, scoring 278 runs at an average of 30.88. However, it was his blazing strike rate of 162.57 that helped PBKS in the middle overs. Inglis also scored a match-winning 73 off 42 balls against Mumbai Indians in the last league match.

PBKS wanted to retain Josh Inglis

As per Cricbuzz, even though Punjab Kings wanted to retain him, Ponting decided against it at the last minute as he would not be available for a full season. With the availability of just four matches, it is unlikely that he would get sold. However, on the flip side, any franchise would want to have him in their plans for the next season.

“Josh is a terrific player. I would have loved to have had him as part of our squad going forward. But this year he wasn’t going to be available for the majority of the tournament. For that reason, I found it pretty much impossible to be able to retain him,” Ricky Ponting said in an official statement by PBKS.

With Inglis back in the auction pool and unavailable for most part of the next season, Punjab Kings would look for an explosive middle-order batter. PBKS have also released Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Hardie.

The likes of Adam Milne, Ashton Agar and Rilee Rossouw have also confirmed partial availability due to various reasons. Rossouw, who last played for PBKS in IPL 2024, has also registered for the IPL auction with limited availability. He would be available for 8-10 games during the IPL 2026 season.

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