Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are currently one of the most underperforming teams og the IPL 2026. They are on the 9th position of the points tablem with just two wins from six games, and have looked jittery both with the bat and the ball. With their squad not looking good, they desperately need a shake up. However, the goo news for them is one of their major stars in the squad might finally be returning after a long absence that saw him miss all the games of the IPL till now.
According to a report by ESPN Cricinfo, LSG are set to be boosted by the return of star Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, who is set to join the squad before their match against Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 4. This means that LSG will play one more game without him – against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 26.
Josh Inglis had earlier said that he would only be available for the latter half of the IPL 2026, since he would be taking a break due to his wedding. After getting married on April 18, back home in Australia, he is set to be back in action in the IPL 2026. In fact, this would be his return to competitive cricket after a long break.
LSG had bought Inglis for Rs 8.6 crore in the IPL 2026 auction.
PBKS Were Not Happy With Josh Inglis
A report by Cricbuzz had earlier revealed that Inglis was set to get married on 18th April and was going for a honeymoon immediately after that and only make himself available for the final few games of the league stage. However, after LSG’s massive bid, Inglis might postpone his honeymoon and immediately join the LSG camp post the wedding.
Punjab Kings (PBKS), Inglis’ earlier franchise were not happy with the situation after they released the player just 45 minutes before the deadline. Meanwhile, a notification by BCCI to the franchises before the auction had also claimed that he would be available only for four games.
PBKS co-owner Ness Wadia lashed out at Inglis and labeled the player ‘unprofessional’ as he revealed that the player only let them know about his unavailability just minutes before the deadline for teams to submit their list of retained and released players (November 15).
“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,” Wadia said in an interaction with The Hindu.
“We told him he should have informed us earlier. I don’t think it was very professional of him. I don’t think it is very professional of anyone if they know there is a deadline. You can’t call someone 45 before minutes and say, ‘Hey, I’m not coming,’ especially when he knew that we were retaining him,” he added.
