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An expensive 'own goal': The Josh Inglis blunder derails LSG's auction strategy for IPL 2026

Umesh Sharma

Josh Inglis in action for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 (Source: AFP)Josh Inglis in action for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 (Source: AFP)

On Tuesday, December 16, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena hosted the highly-anticipated IPL 2026 auction, where 10 IPL teams happened to be in a bidding war to pick best players in their squad for the tournament’s upcoming edition. Some teams strengthened their lineup for the tournament’s 19th edition while others somehow failed to ‘crack the code’. 

Meanwhile, Sanjiv Goenka-owned Lucknow Super Giants left everyone in a shock with their unexpected ‘move to regret’ on the auction table. It happened when LSG went on to bid till INR 8.6 crore to rope in the Australia wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis in their squad. 

Notably, there have been a lot of factors that justify the notion that this ‘Josh Inglis blunder’ has somehow derailed the LSG’s auction strategy to a major extent. 

Josh Inglis’ availability during the season 

What really raised the questions on LSG’s move to pick Inglis for a big amount is the concern around his availability during the next season. Inglis himself confirmed to ABC Sport that it will be possible for him to feature only in four games and that too in the second round of the tournament. 

The reason behind WK-batter’s short-span availability is his scheduled marriage in April 2026, which could keep him away from the action for a couple of weeks. Notably, the interesting fact in Inglis’ bid during IPL 2026 auction was that he went unsold in the first round. 

So, spending 8.60 crore on a player who is going to play for just four games is a move going to fail miserably on a lot of scales and aspects. It raises the question on the economical understanding of those representing LSG during the auction, alongside putting their ‘cricketing sense’ under the scanner. 

LSG will have to ponder a bit to find the answer of the question, “what sense does it make to spend INR 2.15 crores per game on an overseas player. 

The question of ‘relevance in squad’ around Josh Inglis

Having Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and Aiden Markram already in the top-order is the first of the all factors that puts a big question on LSG’s rationale of justifying Josh Inglis’ relevance in the squad. 

Leading run-scorers for LSG in IPL 2025

Batters
Innings/Runs
Average/SR
50/100
M Marsh13/62748.23/163.716/1
N Pooran14/52443.67/196.255/0
A Markram 13/54534.23/148.835/0
A Badoni11/32932.90/148.202/0
R Pant13/269
24.45/133.171/1

Notably, Marsh, Markram, and Pooran were the top-three leading run-scorers for LSG in IPL 2025, with Marsh topping the list scoring 627 runs in 13 innings, with an amazing average of 48.23, hitting six half-centuries and a century. Following him was Nicky P who scored 524 runs in 14 innings, averaging 43.67 and registering a sensational strike rate of 196.25, hitting five half-centuries. Markram aggregated 445 runs in 13 innings, with average of 34.23, hitting five half-centuries. 

If a team already has enough batters to serve in the top order then how on earth can you do justice with another top-order batter when even his availability is skeptical. 

The analytical ignorance 

Besides the top-order error, another factor that makes LSG’s move ‘beyond the cricketing sense’ is roping in three overseas wicketkeeper-batters in Nicholas Pooran, Matthew Breetzke, and Josh Inglis. Calculating the total number of WK-batters in the squad, it goes to five with two Indian additions in Rishabh Pant and Mukul Choudhary. 

It was Pooran who kept the wickets for LSG in IPL 2025 and is also there in the squad, with a regular backup in skipper Pant. Then, the logic behind picking Josh Inglis is still something that forces the fans and analysts to think about the reasoning that captured the decision-making minds at LSG’s auction table. 

What LSG have severely impacted with this ‘Josh Inglis blunder’ is the core of their squad, the pace attack. After spending 8.6 crores on an irrelevant, the franchise landed up filling their pace attack with the bowlers who are ‘vulnerable to injury’ on the number of occasions more than the number of matches they play.

An injury-prone young pacer Mayank Yadav was already there in the squad but the LSG think tank picked another injury-prone veteran pacer Anrich Nortje for INR 2.2 crores. Apart from these two, the senior pacer Mohammed Shami is also coming out of an injury and it might haunt him as a pacer in the next IPL edition. 

LSG pacers in IPL 2025

Bowlers
Innings
Wickets
Economy Rate
Avesh Khan 13 1310.29
Prince Yadav639.85
Mayank Yadav22
12.50

Out of LSG's three key pacers in IPL 2025, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav, and Mayank Yadav, it was only Avesh to feature in 13 innings throughout the tournament. Apart form him, Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav could feature in just six and two innings, respectively. This less number of matches for pacers also raises the concerns around 'vulnerable to injury' factor for LSG in IPL 2026. 

Conclusion: LSG left with a lot of ‘issues to address’

Even if LSG have roped in Josh Inglis considering their future plans, for example in case of ‘Mitchell Marsh retiring’ or ‘other factors’, then it also makes their psyche of ‘building team on assumptions’ eligible to be scrutinized. 

So, it can be concluded that the Lucknow Super Giants might have to wait to win an IPL title for at least one or two seasons as they are still left with a lot of issues that must have been addressed by now.