Inglis confirms his limited IPL availability for 2026 due to his wedding that will take place in early April.
Josh Inglis confirms wedding plans will minimise his IPL availability.
Josh Inglis, an Australian wicketkeeper-batter who was selected by the Lucknow Super Giants for INR 8.6 crore at the most recent IPL mini-auction, has stated that he won’t be fully available for the 2026 campaign. With the IPL 2026 scheduled to take place from March 26 to May 31, Inglis announced that he would be getting married in early April.
“Well, I sort of watched a lot of it [IPL auction] and I was pushed back in the pecking order,” Inglis told ABC Sport. “I don’t have full availability this year. I’m getting married in early April. So, I didn’t really expect to go, to be honest. So I sort of saw my name go by unsold… the first one I was like ‘alright stuff this, I’m going to bed’ and I need to switch on for tomorrow [Ashes] and then woke up to the news. I didn’t know until I’d seen a few messages this morning.”
Ricky Ponting, Inglis’ former IPL coach at Punjab Kings, had alluded to Inglis’ partial availability following the team’s release, but after going unsold at first, Inglis sparked a bidding battle at the auction. Inglis and coach Justin Langer, who had previously collaborated at the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League (BBL), were reunited after LSG ultimately outbid Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Inglis was one of the players the team was hoping to retain for IPL 2026, according to PBKS co-owner Ness Wadia, but the player announced his lack of full availability “45 minutes before the deadline.”
“We didn’t really let go of Josh. I mean, Josh unfortunately, sadly, only told us at the last minute, which was not very fair given that he had been with us for a while,” Wadia told The Hindu. “I think everyone knew when the retention was coming, and we were informed by him 45 minutes before the deadline that he was getting married and needed time to relax and recuperate. He said he was going to be available only for a couple of weeks [three games].
“We told him he should have informed us earlier. I don’t think it was very professional of him. I don’t think it is very professional of anyone if they know there is a deadline. You can’t call someone 45 minutes before and say, ‘Hey, I’m not coming,’ especially when he knew that we were retaining him.
“But I wish him all the best. He is a good player and I am sure he will do well for Australia. And let’s see whether he plays in the IPL or not. I wish him all the best because he is a fellow human being. But, the manner in which he behaved was not very professional.”