Lucknow Super Giants’ big-money signing of Josh Inglis has come with an unexpected off-field twist, after Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia publicly called out the keeper‑batter’s last-minute withdrawal from IPL 2026 retention plans as “not very professional.”

What Ness Wadia is upset about

Ness Wadia revealed that Punjab Kings fully intended to retain Josh Inglis after his solid 2025 season, where he scored 278 runs in 11 matches for the runners-up. According to Wadia, the franchise only learned 45 minutes before the retention deadline that Inglis would not be available for most of IPL 2026 because of his wedding and desire for a break.

Wadia said Inglis informed PBKS that he was getting married and would “be available only for a couple of weeks (three games),” forcing the team to rethink their plans at the very last moment.

He called the timing “not very fair” and “not very professional,” stressing that if a player knows there is a firm deadline and that a team plans to retain him, he “can’t call someone 45 minutes before and say, ‘Hey, I’m not coming.’”

Despite his frustration, Wadia also added that he wishes Inglis well and acknowledged him as a “good player” who should do well for Australia, even as he questioned whether Inglis would actually turn up for the entire IPL 2026 season with LSG.

Inglis’ side: wedding clash and low expectations

Josh Inglis has been open about the reason for his limited availability. He is getting married in early April, right in the middle of the IPL 2026 window (March 26 to May 31), meaning he cannot commit to a full season.

Speaking to ABC Sport, Inglis said he did not really expect to be picked because of his partial availability and saw himself “pushed back in the pecking order.”

When his name first came up at the auction and went unsold, he switched off, saying “alright, stuff this, I’m going to bed” to focus on the next day’s Ashes Test, and only woke up to messages informing him that Lucknow Super Giants had eventually bought him for ₹8.6 crore in a later round.

From Inglis’ perspective, this was a year where international commitments and personal life (his wedding) took priority, and he genuinely did not think a franchise would spend big on a player who couldn’t stay the whole season.

Why this became a professionalism flashpoint

The friction lies less in Inglis choosing to prioritise his wedding and more in the timing and communication:

PBKS felt blindsided because they were planning to retain him and build around him, only to be told less than an hour before the deadline that he wouldn’t really be available.

For Wadia, that last‑minute call affected PBKS’ strategy, as retention and release decisions shape how much money and how many slots are available for the auction.

This episode highlights how important clear, early communication is between players and franchises—especially around availability—because it directly impacts squad planning and budget use. It also underlines how IPL teams can still gamble on part‑season players if they rate the quality high enough, as LSG clearly did with Inglis despite the controversy.