Josh Inglis Confirms IPL 2026 Unavailability After Lucknow Super Giants Buys Aussie For INR 8.6 Crore

Australian cricketer Josh Inglis has come forward to announce that he will not be available for majority of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. This comes after the Aussie was snapped up by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 8.6 crore in the recently concluded IPL mini auction.

After being bought in the auction, Inglis announced on live television that he is going to miss the forthcoming IPL season as he will be getting married. Inglis is slated to get married in early April, with the IPL set to return from March 26 to May 31.

"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,” Inglis told ABC Sport after the auction.

As per the PTI, the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council are now closely monitoring the situation as it is believed that he may alter his personal schedule for IPL commitments.

PBKS co-owner Ness Wadia Unhappy With Inglis

PBKS co-owner Ness Wadia was not happy with Josh Inglis' behavior and deemed it unprofessional after the Australian had informed them of his unavailability 45 minutes before the auction.

"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. 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],” Wadia told the Hindu.

It is worth noting that Inglis featured for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025, and they were looking to buy him again in the auction. Inglis was used in the disruptor's role in IPL 2025, making 278 runs in 11 matches at a strike-rate of 163.

He made 73 off 42 balls against Mumbai Indians and then a 38 off 21 balls in Qualifier 2 to help PBKS reach the final.

(with PTI inputs)