Josh Inglis was released by the Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL auction because of his availability issues. Inglis will be getting married in the March-April period; however, despite being released, the wicketkeeper-batter registered for the upcoming player auction.
Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis was released by the Punjab Kings due to his availability issues during the IPL 2026 edition, but despite that, the 30-year-old went on to register for the player auction. Now, as per Cricbuzz, Inglis has communicated to the franchises through the BCCI that he will be available for four matches during the IPL. It will be interesting to see if any of the 10 teams will be keen to go for Inglis, being fully aware of his limited availability for the tournament.
“Josh Inglis is the other one who played some great knocks for us in the back half of the tournament…he wasn’t going to be available for the majority of the tournament. So for that reason, I found it pretty much impossible to be able to retain him,” Punjab Kings head coach Punjab Kings had confirmed following the deadline day. Inglis is getting married during March-April next year and hence, will be missing the majority of the season.
Inglis, in 11 games for the Kings, showed why he is still an in-demand player at the auction, having scored 278 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 162.57, including a magnificent knock of 73 off 42 balls in the group stage against the Mumbai Indians and impactful knocks in the second qualifier and the final.
As the Mumbai Indians did with Jofra Archer a few years ago, teams like the Kolkata Knight Riders or even the Punjab Kings themselves might go for Inglis just to secure him, with an eye on the future, given the quality he possesses. If not Inglis, keeper-batters like Tim Seifert, Jamie Smith, Jonny Bairstow and Quinton de Kock are a few of the options for the teams looking for that skillset.
The IPL 2026 auction will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, with 77 slots remaining to be filled.
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