Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner Ness Wadia made a startling claim regarding Australia wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis following the IPL 2026 auction, which took place on Tuesday, December 16, in Abu Dhabi. The franchise had released Inglis ahead of the auction as he was expected to be available for only four matches in the upcoming season.
Inglis had earlier informed PBKS about his wedding scheduled for April, which would limit his availability during IPL 2026. However, Wadia revealed after the auction that the player communicated this information just 45 minutes before the retention deadline. Notably, all ten franchises had submitted their retention lists by November 15, 2025.
The PBKS co-owner voiced his displeasure and described Inglis’ last-minute communication as unprofessional.
“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. 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,” he told The Hindu
“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,” he added.
Josh Inglis Was Surprised To Go Unsold At IPL 2026 Auction After PBKS Release
Despite limited availability, Josh Inglis drew a ₹8.6 crore bid at the IPL 2026 auction and was snapped up by LSG after a late bidding war, even though he did not expect to be sold.
“Well, I sort of watched a lot of it [IPL auction] and I was pushed back in the pecking order. 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,” he told ABC Sport.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
