Punjab Kings did not retain Josh Inglis ahead of IPL 2026 auction

wicketkeeper-batsman josh inglis The contract was released by Punjab Kings (PBKS) ahead of the mini auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. PBKS, who finished runners-up in the all-important T20 tournament last season, will go without Inglis as he will not even register for the auction to be held in Abu Dhabi on December 16.

A source has confirmed that the star Australian cricketer has left the franchise on the very day of the retention deadline citing personal reasons. And in fact, even though PBKS wanted to retain Inglis for the upcoming season, the stumper-batsman has informed the franchise about his decision not to participate in the 2026 edition due to personal reasons, with news of his marriage also emerging.

PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting also said that it is indeed not a very happy moment for the franchise, but the player has insisted on keeping himself out of the retention list, as he will be unavailable due to family reasons.

Ponting said in an official statement, “Josh is a fantastic player. I would have loved for him to have been a part of our team going forward. But this year he was not going to be available for the majority of the tournament. For that reason, I found it quite impossible to be able to retain him.” PBKS After the announcement of retention.

The focus will now turn to the auction ahead of the 2026 season, as the franchise will look to look for an ideal replacement for the departing Inglis and make modifications here and there to go the distance this time. On the day of the auction, Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia and Ponting will be among the other PBKS representatives at the table as they walk in with a purse of Rs 11.5 crore and four players' spots to fill.

IPL 2026 Retention: Punjab Kings (PBKS) Retained Players List

Shreyas IyerYuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Hurnoor Pannu, Musheer Khan, Vishnu Vinod, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Johnson, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Lockie Ferguson, Vijaykumar Vishak, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett,