Mumbai,DEC 12
Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting talked about the reasoning behind releasing some of the biggest names ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2026 auction.PBKS released Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, and Josh Inglis ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, scheduled for December 16.Speaking on the JioStar’s ‘Retention Show’, Ricky Ponting explained the team’s overseas releases saying the team has decided to release Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis to free up overseas slots ahead of the auction. Ponting noted that while he values Maxwell highly, the team did not see him fitting into their starting XI in the next year’s IPL.Hardie, who didn’t get a game last season, was also released for strategic reasons. Inglis, despite strong performances late in the tournament, was let go due to limited availability for the upcoming season.”The biggest name we are releasing this year is Glenn Maxwell. I have worked with Glenn a long time. I love him and what he brings to the game. Unfortunately, last year we could not get the best out of him, and looking ahead we did not feel he would be in our starting team, so we decided to release him. Aaron Hardie is the other overseas all-rounder we are releasing. He never got a chance to play for us last year. It is hard to let such players go, but we need to open up overseas slots for the auction. Unfortunately, Aaron Hardie is a release,” Ponting said.
Josh Inglis is another one. He played some great knocks for us in the second half of the tournament.
