Ponting stated that freeing up foreign positions was crucial before the December 16 mini-auction, giving the franchise more flexibility to build a balanced squad. He further explained that Hardie’s release followed a similar logic as the IPL 2025 runners-up wanted to reorganize their overseas arm to target specific players in the auction.
Regarding Inglis’ release, Ponting acknowledged that the Australian wicketkeeper-batsman delivered several key performances for PBKS during the 2025 IPL season. However, concerns over his availability for the 2026 edition due to international commitments influenced the decision to let him go.
“The biggest name we are releasing this year is Glenn Maxwell. I have worked with Glenn for a long time. I love him and what he brings to the game. Unfortunately we couldn’t get the best out of him last year, and looking ahead we didn’t feel he would be in our starting team, so we decided to release him. Aaron Hardie is the other foreign all-rounder we are releasing. Last year he never got the chance to play for us. It’s hard to let players like that go, but we have to put them overseas release. for auction Unfortunately, Aaron Hardie is a release,” Ponting said on the JioHotstar Retention Show.
“Josh Inglis is another one. He played some great games for us in the second half of the tournament. He missed a few games for various reasons and was also aware that he would be unavailable for most of the tournament this year,” he added.
Maxwell played in seven matches for PBKS in IPL 2025 and managed just 48 runs at a disappointing average of 8.00. His impact with the ball was also minimal as he took only four wickets during the season. In contrast, Inglis delivered a much better campaign, with 278 runs from 11 innings at an average of 30.88 and an impressive strike rate of 162.57.
Despite Inglis’ contributions, the franchise opted to release all three foreign players, along with Indian players Kuldeep Sen and Praveen Dubey. After this exit, PBKS will enter the IPL 2026 mini-auction with a remaining amount of INR 11.50 crore.
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