Josh Inglis invited a fresh controversy after the Australian cricketer was blamed for his “unprofessional” behaviour before the Indian Premier League (IPL) retention deadline. Inglis was a part of the Punjab Kings franchise in the previous IPL season and was about to be retained.
However, the Australian cricketer informed Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia just 45 minutes before the deadline that it would not be possible for him to stay in India for 10-14 days during that time due to his wedding.
As a result, Punjab Kings released Inglis and didn't even during the IPL 2025 auction. Surprisingly, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Sunrisers Hyderabad bid intensively during the auction in Abu Dhabi before LSG secured Inglis' services for ₹8.6 crore.
“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 was quoted as saying to The Hindu. Wadia revealed that Inglis informed them at the last moment about his unavailability.
“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. You can't call someone 45 minutes before and say, 'Hey, I'm not coming', especially when he knew that we were retaining him,” Wadia elaborated.
“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,” added Wadia.
What's the conflict between Inglis and PBKS?
The conflict arose after the auction after Inglis was bought for three times more price from what he he got in IPL 2025. He is set to get married on April 18 and is believed to jet off for a honeymoon soon after. But a Cricbuzz report claimed that Inglis may change his plans after the ₹8.6 crore bid from LSG and might postpone his honeymoon plans.
In case, Inglis arrives at the start of IPL 2026, he might return back for a brief period for his wedding and rejoin his new IPL franchise soon after. “Now that he has received such a high bid, he might even arrive at the start of the season, leave for the wedding, and come back soon after,” a the website quoted a source as saying.
Who knew more about Josh Inglis' availability?
With LSG and Sunrisers Hyderabad aggressively bidding for Inglis, it certainly questioned the relationship between the Australian cricketer and Punjab Kings head coach Ponting. The miscommunication hinted that Justin Langer-Tom Moody duo (LSG coach and director) and the Daniel Vettori-Pat Cummins pair (SRH coach and captain) knew more about Inglis than that of Ponting.
While LSG officials didn't comment on the issue, Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach Varun Aaron revealed what led SRH to go after Inglis. "You never know - people can make different decisions once the auction is done. So, we thought that with the relationship Dan and him have, he could maybe convince him to play a few extra games. And that's where it came from," Aaron told media after the auction.
