Ponting Explains Josh Inglis and Maxwell Release From Retention

Punjab Kings released Australian players Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell ahead of the retention deadline and Ponting explained the decision.

Punjab Kings made some surprising decisions ahead of the IPL retention deadline on November 15. The franchise released star wicketkeeper Josh Inglis and all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, among other players.

The 2025 runners-up retained 21 players from their core squad. However, they decided to let go of Inglis, Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, and Praveen Dubey before next month’s auction.

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Coach Explains Release Decisions

The release of Josh Inglis came as a particular surprise to many followers. Unlike Maxwell, Inglis had performed well in the previous IPL season. He played a crucial role in Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians, where he successfully faced bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

Head coach Ricky Ponting explained the reasoning behind both releases during a conversation with broadcasters. Regarding Maxwell, Ponting stated: “Love Glenn and what he brings to the game. Unfortunately, last year we weren’t able to get the best out of him.”

The coach further added about Maxwell: “Looking ahead to this season, we didn’t feel he would be part of our starting team, so we decided to release him.”

For Inglis, Ponting revealed that availability issues led to the decision. “Josh is a terrific player. I would have loved to have had him as part of our squad going forward. But this year, he wasn’t going to be available for the majority of the tournament. So for that reason, I found it pretty much impossible to be able to retain him,” Ponting explained.

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The team maintained their usual approach of retaining most of their core players. The franchise continues to operate under the leadership partnership of captain Shreyas Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting.