Ashes Star Josh Inglis' Unprofessional Behaviour Frustrates IPL Team Owner: "Can't Call Someone..."
Australia's wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis was picked by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 8.6 crore at the IPL 2026 auction
Australia's wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis was picked by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 8.6 crore at the IPL 2026 auction. In the 2025 season, Inglis played for runner-up Punjab Kings and scored 278 runs in 11 matches. However, he was not retained by PBKS. The franchise's co-owner Ness Wadia has now revealed that Inglis informed them at the last moment that he would not be coming.
"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."
Inglis has revealed that he would be getting married in April, and with IPL 2026 set to run from March 26 to May 31, he would not be available for the entire season.
"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."
Australia Cricket Team
Punjab Kings
Lucknow Super Giants