Josh Inglis IPL row: Punjab Kings to approach BCCI after Ness Wadia's 'unprofessional' remark - Report

Josh Inglis IPL row: Punjab Kings to approach BCCI after Ness Wadia's 'unprofessionalism' remark (BCCI Photo)

The availability of Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season has caused quite a stir. Punjab Kings (PBKS) released him after the 30-year-old told the franchise that he would not be available for the entire season because of his impending marriage. The player was acquired by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Rs 8.60 crore, even though BCCI informed all ten teams that Inglis would only be available for four games.

This development has left some wondering if there was a misunderstanding about his availability or if it's just an instance of the West Australian changing his mind at the last minute. As reported by Cricbuzz, Inglis may be available for the next season for a longer period of time than expected. PBKS are not happy with this and the 2025 edition finalists intend to contact the BCCI about it.

It is important to note that PBKS notified BCCI of Inglis' release just 45 minutes before the November 15 retention deadline. The cricketer had informed the franchise that he would be getting married on April 18 and going on his honeymoon right away, therefore he would only be available for the IPL for 10 to 14 days in late May.

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LSG and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) engaged in a bidding war for Inglis at the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi. His Rs 8.6 crore acquisition by LSG is a sharp increase from his previous Rs 2.6 crore contract with PBKS.

The report by Cricbuzz further claimed Inglis may now put off his honeymoon plans and report for IPL work as soon as the wedding gets over. The player is in constant touch with Justin Langer, the LSG head coach.

"Now that he has got such a bid, he might even come at the start of the season, leave for the wedding, and come back soon after," the report quoted a source as saying.

The right-hander amassed 278 runs in 11 IPL 2025 games at a strike-rate of 162.6 and an average of 30.88. In PBKS' last league stage match, he scored 73 off 42 balls to assist the Shreyas Iyer-led team place in the top two. In Qualifier 2, he smashed 38 off 21 balls, playing a key role in helping Punjab advance to the final.