Punjab Kings' (PBKS) decision to release Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis ahead of the IPL 2026 auction took many people and the head coach by surprise. ricky ponting has explained the rationale behind the bold step. While the releases were primarily tactical, focused on restructuring overseas slots, Ponting revealed that Maxwell's high valuation, both in terms of purse impact and squad structure, played a major role.
Ponting said it was important to clear overseas positions ahead of the December 16 mini-auction, giving franchises more flexibility to build a balanced squad. He further explained that Hardy's release also follows a similar logic, as the IPL 2025 runners-up wanted to reorganize their overseas department to target specific players in the auction.
Addressing Inglis' release, Ponting admitted that the Australian wicketkeeper-batsman produced several important performances for PBKS during the IPL 2025 season. However, concerns regarding his availability for the 2026 edition due to international commitments influenced the decision to let him go.
“The biggest name we are releasing this year is Glenn Maxwell. I have worked with Glenn for a long time. I love him and what he brings to the game. Unfortunately, last year we could not get the best out of him and looking ahead we did not feel he would be in our starting team, so we decided to release him. Aaron Hardy is the second overseas all-rounder we are releasing. He did not get a chance to play for us last year. It is important to let such players go. Difficult, but we need to open foreign slots.” auction. Unfortunately, Aaron Hardie is a release,'' Ponting said on the GeoHotStar retention show.
“Josh Inglis is another player. He played some great innings for us in the second half of the tournament. He missed a few games for different reasons and also knew that he would not be available for most of the tournament this year,” he said.
Maxwell played seven matches for PBKS in IPL 2025 and scored just 48 runs at a disappointing average of 8.00. His impact with the ball was also minimal, as he took only four wickets throughout the season. In contrast, Inglis had a much better campaign, scoring 278 runs in 11 innings at an average of 30.88 and an impressive strike rate of 162.57.
Despite Inglis's contribution, the franchise opted to release Indian players Kuldeep Sen and Praveen Dubey as well as all three overseas players. Following these departures, PBKS will enter the IPL 2026 mini-auction with a remaining purse of Rs 11.50 crore.
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