Josh Inglis for LSG [Source: AFP]Josh Inglis has been ruled out of the Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru clash on May 7. The English wicketkeeper-batter had just played his first match of the tournament on May 4 against the Mumbai Indians. Although Josh Inglis came in to make an impact, he failed miserably, scoring only 13 runs off 5 deliveries. However, the poor innings was not the primary reason for him being benched for the LSG vs RCB clash. Inglis’ 'Unavailability' Since IPL 2026 Retentions Josh Inglis has been suffering from several injuries since December 2024. He was ruled out of the Border-Gavaskar Test because of a calf strain and was out of cricket for a considerable amount of time. In September 2025, he again injured his calf, which sidelined him from the T20I series against New Zealand national cricket team, followed by a release from Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Nevertheless, Inglis' unavailability was also credited to the fact that he missed the start of IPL 2026 for personal reasons since he recently married in April. Why is Josh Inglis not playing today? As soon as Inglis debuted for LSG against the Mumbai Indians, he injured his thumb while attempting a catch. This injury came as a major blow for Lucknow Super Giants since captain Rishabh Pant declared during the toss of LSG vs RCB clash that he had been ruled out of the game. During the toss, Pant shared that Arshin Kulkarni would be coming in place of Inglis, who is injured. No timeline has been announced yet for when and how Josh will recover from the injury. "We have few injuries in our team. Arshin comes in for Inglis, he's a little injured," Pant said.There is also a possibility that he could be ruled out for the remainder of the season, since Lucknow Super Giants are virtually out of the playoff race and, with only a few matches remaining, if Inglis's injury does not heal in time, he may not be able to rejoin the camp soon enough. Also Read- Bhuvneshwar Kumar Joins Elite Names: List Of Players With 200 And More Matches In IPLPBKS Releases Josh Inglis Ahead Of IPL 2026 Auction In December 2025, Inglis announced his limited availability, which came around the time when Lucknow Super Giants roped in the talent for INR 8.6 crore in the IPL 2026 mega auction. This led to massive auction drama surrounding the England cricketer.The action began on November 15, just before the retention deadline. Inglis reportedly informed PBKS co-owner Ness Wadia that he would be getting married in April and would be unavailable immediately after. Hence, the limited availability forced coach Ricky Ponting to explain that it would be impossible to retain him since they couldn't waste a long-term slot on a part-time player. LSG Rope In Inglis With ConditionsHence, during the auction bidding war, despite the BCCI communique officially warning all teams that Inglis would only be available for four games, his name in the bidding saw paddles going up.Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants went head-to-head for the 'unavailable star', and from his base price of INR 2.6 crore, LSG managed to rope him in for the heavy price tag. Later, Ness Wadia publicly slammed Josh Inglis's behaviour as not very professional. However, as per his words, Inglis was also unavailable for LSG matches during the first leg of IPL 2026.Also Read- LSG Vs RCB Toss Update: Josh Inglis Injured; Rajat Patidar Asks Rishabh Pant And Co To Bat
