Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, who was released by Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, has confirmed that he will be available for only four matches in the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League. The 30-year-old, who has two T20I centuries for Australia, has reportedly entered the IPL 2026 auction with a base price of ₹2 crore. But before the auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16, he made it clear that he can play just four games.

According to a report by Cricbuzz on Thursday (December 4), out of the 1355 players who registered for the IPL 2026 auction, five have informed the BCCI about their limited availability.

As per the report, “Inglis has informed the BCCI that he would feature in only 25 per cent of IPL 2026. In simple terms, he has told the franchises through the Board that he can take part in no more than four matches."

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Inglis Shines for PBKS in IPL 2025

Inglis was one of the top performers for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. He played 11 matches for the Shreyas Iyer-led side and scored 278 runs. In the team’s last league match against Mumbai Indians in Jaipur, he scored 73 runs from 42 balls and helped PBKS chase 185 to win by 7 wickets. He also played an important knock in the second qualifier against MI in Ahmedabad.

🚨 🚨

Ahead of #IPLAuction, Josh Inglis has notified the franchises via the BCCI that he can play no more than four games in #IPL2026.

He’s listed at a ₹2 crore base price. pic.twitter.com/6bCLrXnoCB

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) December 4, 2025

Why PBKS Released Him Before IPL 2026

When PBKS released Inglis ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, head coach Ricky Ponting said the decision was made because of his limited availability.

“Josh Inglis played some great knocks for us in the second half of the season,” Ponting said on Star Sports after PBKS announced their retentions. “He missed a few games due to different reasons. He also told me this year that he would not be available for most of the next season. Because of that, it was almost impossible to retain him,” Ponting added.

Reports also say that Inglis is planning to get married next year, and that is why he won’t be able to play the full IPL 2026 season.

Team India batter Shreyas Iyer was seen getting angry at security personnel who forcefully clicked pictures with him. In a video shared on social media, the right-handed batter expressed clear displeasure and reminded the security person that his job was to help him walk freely, not stop him for photos. The incident quickly gained attention and sparked reactions online.

Iyer has not played for India since the third ODI against Australia last month at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). During that match, he suffered a rib injury while taking an outstanding catch to dismiss Alex Carey. Although the catch was brilliant, the Mumbai-born cricketer hurt his rib and walked off the field immediately. A later update revealed that he had suffered internal bleeding, which was controlled after a minor procedure, and his recovery has been progressing well.

Meanwhile, the video of the Indian middle-order batter showing frustration with the security person continues to go viral. Reports also suggest that the prolific right-hander is unlikely to be fully fit for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, starting November 30.

Iyer Retained by PBKS and Coming Off a Strong IPL Season

Shreyas Iyer is one of 21 players retained by Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL 2026 auction to be held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. The franchise, led by the Mumbai-born star, was the runner up in IPL 2025 after a heartbreaking defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Iyer had a great season with the bat despite the defeat.

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He ended IPL 2025 as PBKS’ highest run-scorer, smashing 604 runs in 17 matches at an average of 50.33, alongside a superb strike rate of 175.07. However, he managed only one run in the final, where PBKS failed to chase down 191. Even so, his form throughout the season was a big positive for the team, and PBKS will hope he returns fully fit ahead of IPL 2026.

The former Indian opening batter, Aakash Chopra, has dropped a massive claim that their all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell, might not find any takers ahead of the IPL 2026 auction after being released by the Punjab Kings (PBKS). He added that the spin-bowling all-rounder might not then put his name in the auction. 

Maxwell was one of the five players released by the Punjab Kings ahead of the next Indian Premier League, along with Praveen Dubey, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, and Kuldeep Sen. In the recent video from the opening batter, Aakash Chopra, on his YouTube channel, he wondered if it was the end of Maxwell in IPL.

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“They have said that they will let Maxwell go. Maxwell was for ₹4.20 crore. Mitchell Owen had come in his place. Mitchell Owen was retained, and Maxwell was let go. Is it the end of an era? Why am I saying it's an era? He has earned ₹101 crore from the IPL.” Chopra expressed in the video.

Aakash Chopra wonders about Glenn Maxwell's end ahead of IPL 2026

Maxwell has overall smashed 2819 runs in the 135 innings of the IPL at an average of 23.88 and a strike rate of 155.14 with the help of 18 half-centuries at the best score of 95. In the last two seasons, he got 100 runs in 23 innings.

“I don't grudge anybody's money. I want them to make ₹100 crore in one season. Players should get that kind of money because it's a multi-billion-dollar league. It's possible someone could be interested, and it's also possible no one could be interested. He might put his name, or he might not even put his name. So that's going to be an interesting one.” Chopra addressed.

“They don't need to buy much. They can find a middle-order batter because Josh Inglis is going. They could maybe look towards Cooper Connolly, and if they could get a backup pacer, and that's about it. They don't need too much. An Indian backup spinner and an overseas backup pacer with Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, and Marco Jansen. They are a good team, and they have the money.” The former Indian opener concluded.

Punjab Kings (PBKS), who were runners-up in IPL 2025, have disclosed the changes in their squad ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. The team has retained most of its players from last season and has effected only a few changes. Their biggest release is that of Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who had a poor outing in 2025 and got injured in the middle of the season. The PBKS have also released Australian wicketkeeper Josh Inglis since he will be unavailable for most of the 2026 season.

Under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, who was bought for a record ₹26.75 crore, PBKS had a brilliant IPL 2025. First in the league stage, they made it to the finals where they lost a close game to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The reason behind their success was the young guns of India who played brilliantly throughout the tournament.

Young talents like Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh performed brilliantly in IPL 2025. Even though Maxwell has been released, PBKS kept Australian all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Owen. They also retained their main bowlers, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal, who both cost ₹18 crore each.

PBKS Retentions, Releases and Auction Plans for IPL 2026

PBKS have kept their strong core together because they believe in the team that did well last season. They have not made many changes and want to continue trusting their young players. Since they retained most of their expensive players, PBKS now have only ₹11.50 crore left for the IPL 2026 auction, the second-lowest purse among all teams.

With only a small purse, PBKS will only be looking to add a couple of players at the mini-auction while filling minor gaps in their squad. The team already has a superb base of batters, bowlers, and all-rounders ahead of the 2026 season.

See Also: Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained and released players list ahead of IPL 2026 auction

PBKS Retained Players for IPL 2026

Punjab Kings have retained Shreyas Iyer as captain along with Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Musheer Khan, Vishnu Vinod, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal and Harpreet Brar.

PBKS Released Players for IPL 2026

The released players include Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen and Praveen Dubey.

PBKS Auction Purse for 2026 

Punjab Kings will enter the IPL 2026 mini-auction with a remaining purse of ₹11.50 crore.

The continuous IPL 2026 trading saga, which involves the Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson, has developed further, as noted by veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin stating the Punjab Kings (PBKS) were also in the mix. In addition to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC), who have already been reported to have interest in signing the star wicketkeeper-batter, Ashwin confirmed that PBKS had contacted the Royals with a lucrative trade offer. 

According to Ashwin, the Royals had a clear demand — they wanted a finisher and a bowler in exchange for Samson. The Punjab Kings then offered Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis as a part of the potential trade, who then would have fit into RR's request for a player that could do both bat and bowl well. But Ashwin did not confirm which bowler Punjab Kings offered along with Stoinis. Reportedly, Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, or even another uncapped Pacers could have been discussed in this swap as well.

In spite of the early negotiations, the trade between RR and PBKS never went through. The Punjab-based franchise reportedly did not have any players whose trade value could adequately fill the void left by the size of a swap for Samson. Other than Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh, they had a dead end in terms of trade value. As it stands, CSK are therefore in the best situation to possibly acquire Samson before the 2026 IPL season. 

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CSK are still favoured to land Samson in blockbuster trade. 

While PBKS did not go through with the trade, CSK have a lot of momentum towards acquiring Sanju Samson. The five-time champions reportedly included Ravindra Jadeja as it seems to have a lot of traction, potentially bringing in either Sam Curran or Matheesha Pathirana to be part of the trade value. 
  
If the deal passes all predicated thresholds, it seems money-wise it is a very even and fair trade. Samson’s IPL contract is INR 18 crore, while the two players are in the ballpark of INR 20.40 crore combined on their salaries. If the trade is successful, RR will strengthen their all-around core, while CSK could possibly add a dynamic wicketkeeper-batter to their batting top order, and thereby create one of the biggest trades in IPL history.

IPL 2025 runner-up Punjab Kings (PBKS) are likely to make some changes for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. They could aim to strengthen their spin bowling department for the IPL 2026 campaign.

It is reported that the team management has shortlisted multiple Australian spinners, for whom they can put up the paddle during the mini auction. In the previous season, PBKS was mostly dependent on Yuzvendra Chahal for quality spin bowling. Apart from Chahal, Harpreet Brar and Afghanistan international Azmatullah Omarzai also played crucial roles.

Though Omarzai proved expensive. In 9 matches, the spin bowling all-rounder claimed 8 wickets at an economy rate of 10.33. Chahal began his IPL 2025 campaign in an unconventional manner but quickly bounced back. The experienced spinner took 16 wickets in 14 IPL 2025 games. But Harpreet Brar emerged as a surprising element. He got some scalps when the team needed those on immediate effect. He put 10 wickets in 8 matches at an economy rate of 8.64. As there is always some to make some improvements, PBKS is expected to cash in for some players during the auction.

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Punjab Kings can target these players for IPL 2026 season

Unlike going for any star player, the franchise can rely on underrated talents, which they did in IPL 2025. According to reports, Tanveer Sangha, Mattew Kuhnemann, and Cooper Connolly are on the wishlist of PBKS. It is also reported that the management can release Pravin Dubey and Aaron Hardie ahead of IPL 2026. It will not be surprising to see Hardie out of the squad in the near future.

Hardie was not played by PBKS because he initially was not available for the start of the season due to international commitments and a shoulder injury. He became available for selection later, but he did not get any chance to perform on the field for PBKS. The team management acquired the service of the all-rounder for INR 1.25 Crore. 

The Indian team management can take a few major decisions for the Australia vs India 3rd ODI of the 3-match series, where Australia has taken a 2-0 lead and claimed the series as well. The remaining match of the series will be a prestige fight for the Asia Cup 2025 winner. For this match, it is reported that the management can shuffle their batting lineup as well as the captaincy. 

According to recent claims, Shubman Gill, the newly appointed captain of India's ODI team, can be rested. If he is put on the bench, then who will be the leader of Team India during the AUS vs IND 3rd ODI? 

Before the 8-match white-ball series (3 ODIs and 5 T20Is), BCCI appointed Gill as the captain and Shreyas Iyer as his deputy. Now, if Gill sits on the bench, then Iyer will be the stand-in captain during the absence of the captain. Reports suggested that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper is all set to lead the team from the front in the Sydney ODI match. 

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PBKS leader is set to lead team India vs Australia

So far, 2025 has been a significant year for Shreyas Iyer. He was one of the key figures to guide India to the Champions Trophy 2025 glory. Then, his stint as the 'Sarpanch' of PBKS is now in the pages of the record book, as he led the team to the final of IPL 2025, where the Punjab-based team concluded their season as the runner-up. 

With constant form with the bat and with his mature mindset, BCCI also started to prepare him as a long-time prospect and a leadership personality in the dressing room. Before the tour to Australia, Iyer was the captain of the India A team. Now, if the reports are to be believed, then he will be in charge of leading Men in Blue in Sydney. 

After appointing veteran cricketer Sairaj Bahutule as the new spin bowling coach, Punjab Kings (PBKS) has made another significant signing ahead of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). This signing will make their coaching team stronger on paper. 

On Friday (October 24) afternoon, through their social media account, PBKS officially announced the signing of Anand Date as their strength and conditioning coach. He will be working with head coach Ricky Ponting, assistant coach Brad Haddin, and other coaching staff of the setup. 

Who is Anand Date? 

Anand Date is a well-known strength and conditioning coach in Indian domestic cricket. In January 2017 he was appointed as the strength & conditioning trainer for the Indian senior men’s cricket team for the series versus England and Bangladesh. He worked within camps of the National Cricket Academy and BCCI-organized training camps. Anand cemented his reputation for developing and overseeing fitness, sports science, conditioning, injury prevention, etc. for the players. 

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Appointing Anand Date is a significant move by Punjab Kings, the runner-up of IPL 2025, as their squad is full of young and exciting talents. Anand has the experience of working with emerging cricketers, which can be fruitful with PBKS as well. In the previous IPL season, the strength and conditioning coach for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) was Adrian Le Roux, who left the team in June 2025 to become the new strength and conditioning coach for the Indian men's cricket team. He had a six-year tenure with PBKS. Anand will join the team in place of Adrian. 

The engine room just got stronger. ⚡

Welcome aboard, Anand Date ➡️ Our strength and conditioning coach! 💪 pic.twitter.com/8e3NUHkidG

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) October 24, 2025

Punjab Kings coaching staff for IPL 2026:

Head Coach: Ricky Ponting

Assistant Coach: Brad Haddin

Fast Bowling Coach: James Hopes

Spin Bowling Coach: Sairaj Bahutule

Assistant Bowling Coach: Trevor Gonsalves 

Our strength and conditioning coach: Anand Date

In Aakash Chopra's latest YouTube video, Shashank Singh was his guest. In the quick-paced video, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter talked about multiple aspects of cricket. The middle-order clarifies that he wants to represent India. 

During a brief conversation with former India cricketer Aakash Chopra, Shashank said that he definitely wants to play for India, but probably not in Test cricket. During the conversation Shashank was clear about his thoughts and opinions. He is now 33 and a lot more mature as a cricketer; he wants to play for Team India mainly for the limited overs format. 

The PBKS star described that for him, Test cricket means a combination of patience, temperament, and fitness. Shashank is a more attacking batsman and treats himself as an all-rounder, so he thinks that rather than a multi-day match, white-ball cricket is good for him, where he can play with dominance. 

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Shashank Singh explains why he prefers to play white ball cricket

"I want to bat with a certain strike rate and want to dominate. In red ball cricket, there is also scope for dominance, but there is a demand for good patience and dominance... As long as I know my game, I want only to dominate, which is not appropriate for red ball cricket. In the Ranji Trophy also I try to control myself," Shashank Singh explains why he wants to put more focus on limited-over matches. 

The dominance Singh was talking about during the episode was reflected during the IPL 2025, when PBKS qualified for the final match after a remarkable performance in the group stage. In the final match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the right-handed batter played an unbeaten 61 runs, but his effort was in vain. In 14 IPL 2025 innings, he scored 350 runs at an amazing batting average of 50.00. 

A commendable victory for India A team chasing Australia A (IND A vs AUS A) team's first innings: 316 runs at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. The high-scoring encounter between these teams was more entertaining because of Prabhsimran Singh, who played a match-deciding102-run innings against 68 deliveries, maintaining a strike rate of 150.00. His innings was laced with eight 4s and seven 6s. 

The Australia A team, captained by Jack Edwards, registered 316 runs in the first innings of the match. The Aussie skipper himself scored 89 off 75, which was the highest individual score of the match for the team. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana did their bowling part well by clinching 6 wickets together. Arshdeep took 3, and Harshit took 3. Ayush Badoni claimed a brace. Arshdeep was the best bowler of the game, as he spent only 38 runs in 10 overs, including a couple of maiden overs, and claimed 3 scalps. 

The target of 317 runs was stiff enough to chase down. But India A was ready with their own version of attacking batting. For the opening pair, Prabhsimran and Abhishek Sharma stitched an 83-run partnership in 11.2 overs. 

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PBKS praised the effort 

Australia A team found some glimpses of hope as they quickly got rid of Sharma and Tilak Varma. But Prabhsimran Singh was then in full flow, making strokes on both sides of the field. The opener showed no mercy for Cooper Connolly, Tanveer Sangha, or Jack Edwards. On the first ball of the 20th over, he made a poor connection on a Tanveer Sangha delivery and was caught out. Prabhsimran departed for a well-made 102, which was for a winning cause. 

Just Prabh power lighting up Kanpur 🔥🫶#IndAvAUS pic.twitter.com/LUgRuaE6hy

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) October 5, 2025

Punjab Kings, the runner-up of the previous Indian Premier League season, from their official social media platforms shared an appreciation post for the batter's heroic innings in Kanpur. In the IPL 2025, the batter was one of the key instruments for PBKS' dominating run in the group stage.