Josh Inglis, the Australian wicket-keeper batter who impressed everyone with his performance in the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20I series against India, was one of the biggest snubs in the IPL 2024 auction. Despite having a base price of INR 2 crore, Inglis remained unsold as none of the eight franchises showed any interest in him.
Inglis, who was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning squad, had scored 58 runs off 59 balls in a crucial match against Sri Lanka in the tournament. He also played a vital role in Australia’s 4-1 victory over India in the T20I series, scoring 144 runs in four innings at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 140.58. He also kept the wickets well and took six catches and two stumpings.
Many experts and fans expected Inglis to be in high demand in the IPL 2024 auction, especially from the teams that needed a wicket-keeper batter in their squad. However, the auction order proved to be unlucky for him, as he came up for bidding after two other wicket-keepers, Tristan Stubb and KS Bharat, had already been sold to Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, respectively. These two teams were the only ones who were looking for a wicket-keeper, and they had no reason to bid for Inglis after securing their preferred choices.
As a result, Inglis had to watch as other players, some of whom had lesser credentials than him, got lucrative deals from the franchises. Some of the notable names who were sold in the auction were Steve Smith (INR 14 crore to Mumbai Indians), Phil Salt (INR 10 crore to Rajasthan Royals), and Kusal Mendis (INR 8 crore to Sunrisers Hyderabad).
Inglis was not the only player who suffered from the auction order, as several other big names like Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, and Colin Munro also went unsold. However, Inglis’ case was more unfortunate, as he had shown his class and potential in the recent international matches, and had a reasonable base price. Many cricket fans and experts expressed their surprise and disappointment over Inglis’ exclusion from the IPL 2024, and hoped that he would get another chance in the future.
The IPL 2024 is scheduled to start from April 5, 2024, and will feature 60 matches across 10 venues in India. The defending champions are Chennai Super Kings, who defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 27 runs in the final of IPL 2023.
