Head coach Ricky Ponting explained why Punjab Kings (PBKS) chose not to retain Glenn Maxwell for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. During the retention process on Saturday, November 15, the Kings also released Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, and Praveen Dubey, along with Maxwell.
In 2025, PBKS had spent Rs 4.2 crore on the Victorian all-rounder, but Maxwell struggled, scoring just 48 runs in six innings at an average of 8 and a strike rate of 97.95. Ponting, who took over as PBKS head coach last season, said the team couldn’t get the best out of Maxwell, and he wouldn’t have been part of their first XI for the upcoming season.
“Love Glenn and what he brings to the game. Unfortunately, last year we weren’t able to get the best out of him,” Ponting told Star Sports.
“Looking ahead to this season, we didn’t feel he would be part of our starting team, so we decided to release him,” Ponting added.
Maxwell’s IPL career has been a mix of explosive performances and inconsistency. Over 13 seasons, he has scored 2,819 runs at a strike rate of 155.15. His standout season was 2014, with 552 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 187.8, while 2021 also saw him perform well, scoring 513 runs at an average of 42.75. However, his 2024 season was disappointing, yielding just 52 runs from nine innings at an average of 5.78. In his last 15 IPL innings, Maxwell has scored only 100 runs, averaging 6.67, with a top score of 30.
The Kings enjoyed a tremendous IPL season, finishing as runners-up. They topped the points table, but their campaign ended with a loss to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Punjab Kings released players: Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, Kuldeep Sen, Praveen Dubey
Punjab Kings retained players: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Shashnk Singh, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Musheer Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Amatullah Omarzai, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Arshdeep Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Barlett, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar
Purse Remaining – Rs 11.5 Crore
Slots Remaining – 4
– Ends
