Overview
- In a column published on December 7 in Mid-Day, Sunil Gavaskar wrote that players unavailable for the full season should not enter the IPL auction.
- He argued that non-national commitments reflect a lack of respect for the league and said the auction should not spend “one second” on such candidates.
- The critique referenced Australia’s Josh Inglis, who limited his availability due to his wedding and was released by Punjab Kings, with Ricky Ponting citing availability as the reason.
- Despite those reports, Inglis has registered for the IPL 2026 auction with a ₹2 crore base price.
- Gavaskar also questioned uncapped-player pay and the practice of injury replacements exceeding base prices, warning that big-money uncapped buys often play little and then fade from the game.