3 reasons why LSG signing Josh Inglis at IPL 2026 Auction is a shrewd move despite limited availability

The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction in Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday, December 16, certainly sprang up a lot of surprises. One of them being a massive bidding war towards the end of the event for Australian wicket-keeper Josh Inglis, who eventually went to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a sum of INR 8.60 crore.

While an overseas player being involved in a bidding war is not a rare event, the fact that Josh Inglis had declared his unavailability for the season made it a bizarre scheme of events. The very reason that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) had released him was the fact that he would only be available to play one-fourth of the 2026 campaign due to his wedding being planned at the same time.

However, it did not prove to be a deal breaker for LSG as they proceeded with their bidding without any hesitation and brought him into their side.

On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why LSG signing Josh Inglis at IPL 2026 Auction is a shrewd move despite limited availability.

#1 One for the future rather than the present

Mitchell Marsh's injury concerns and age do not make him a long-term prospect at the top of the order despite his stellar 2025 campaign. Rather than waiting for the inevitable and waiting for the next auction, by the time which the dynamics could drastically change, LSG were proactive in a way to land Josh Inglis among their ranks.

Given Inglis' trajectory and credentials, a retention fee of INR 8.6 crore could come across as a reasonable sum in 12 months' time. As a player with a brilliant record in India, and in the IPL, along with traits that perfectly matches that of a modern-day T20 batter, he would have been a star attraction in the next auction and been in high demand in the next auction if he was not acquired right now.

The involvement of multiple franchises, and the lack of options in general, in mini auction, might have resulted in a much bigger price tag. LSG, in a way, have compromised for the sake of a potential long-term plan.

#2 Inglis' versatility allows LSG to be more flexible and destructive with their batting order

The fact that LSG have an Indian centric bowling unit, they have the license to go all out with overseas players in their batting unit. Considering that they have let David Miller go, and the pair of Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad are not exactly proven finishers, they can afford to strengthen their middle-order with Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant, knowing that Josh Inglis can reinforce the top three.

In the 2025 campaign, LSG were over-reliant on their top three, as there was a massive void in the middle order. Since Nicholas Pooran had to bat at No.3, and Rishabh Pant struggled with form, the balance was all over the place. Having a player like Josh Inglis massively helps with that, relieving pressure off the

In a way, LSG have put all of their eggs in one basket in the form of Josh Inglis after missing out on both Matheesha Pathirana and Liam Livingstone. Their priority was to strengthen the bowling department, which they did through trade deals and shrewd bargain bids at the auction.

#3 LSG might not have the luxury of a massive purse and limited slots in the future

A lot of what goes down on the auction floor is pure strategy, not leaving much room for impulse or improvisation to come into play. However, for LSG, missing out on big names like Pathirana and Livingstone meant that they had a massive purse still in hand, with hardly any slots remaining.

Given they had nearly covered all of the bases, they could afford to go all out for Inglis, a rare opportunity which is unlikely to occur, an anomaly of he highest order. As a result, taking the long-term benefits into account courtesy of the player's potential, the pros outweighed the con of unavailability. So, they had to take the punt, the circumstances demanded it.

Furthermore, the unavailability is not something set in stone, and it is always subject to change. A massive surge in his price tag, more than three times of what he had with the Punjab Kings (PBKS), could prove to be a massive incentive in terms of shifting things around.