Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 12 (ANI): 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. He missed a few games for different reasons and was also aware he would not be available for most of the tournament this year,' the former Australia captain said.

Former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble said Punjab Kings have retained a strong, well-balanced squad after their player releases, boosted by the confidence of last season's runner-up finish. He noted that their Indian core performed exceptionally well and should continue to do so. Kumble suggested the team may look to add backup fast bowlers, target talented uncapped Indian players, and fill an overseas spot--particularly a wicketkeeper-batter to replace Josh Inglis.

'Punjab Kings have all bases covered. They were the finalists last season, so that confidence has led them to keep most of their players. Their Indian players did exceptionally well last season, and they will hope that continues. Fast bowlers are always good to have as backup, so that is one area they could look at. They would have also identified a few talented uncapped Indians to consider. They will want to fill an overseas slot, as they have released three overseas players. They could look for a wicketkeeper-batter to fill Josh Inglis' position,' Kumble said.

PBKS Retained Players List:

Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Musheer Khan, Vishnu Vinod, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar

PBKS Players Released : Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Praveen Dubey

PBKS Auction Budget: INR 11.50 crore. (ANI)