Josh Inglis Released by PBKS — Reason Explained

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) released wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis prior to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini auction. Josh Inglis will not be participating in the auction, which is scheduled for December 16 in Abu Dhabi, thus PBKS, who finished second in the previous season of the crucial T20 tournament, will be without him.

On the day of the retention deadline, the star Australian cricket player gave the team personal reasons, according to a source. In actuality, despite PBKS’s desire to keep Inglis for the next season, the stumper-batter has told the team that he will not be participating in the 2026 edition for personal reasons. There have also been rumours that he is getting married.

Although the player has insisted on not being added to the retention list since he will be absent for family reasons, PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting has acknowledged that it is not a very joyous time for the team.

“Josh Inglis plays really well. He would have been a fantastic addition to our team moving ahead.

However, he would not be available for most of the competition this year. As a result, I found it quite impossible to keep him,” Ponting stated in a PBKS statement following the announcement of the retentions.

Ahead of the 2026 season, the team will turn its attention to the auction in an attempt to identify the ideal replacement for the leaving Inglis and make apologies where necessary to win this time. With a sum of INR 11.5 crore and up to four player slots up for grabs, PBKS representatives Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, and Ponting will be at the table on the day of the auction.

IPL 2026 Retentions: List of Retained Players for Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Hurnoor Pannu, Musheer Khan, Vishnu Vinod, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Hurnoor Pannu, Lockie Ferguson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett,