AB de Villiers openly trolls LSG over Josh Inglis' acquisition: "Is he really worth that much?"

The recent IPL 2026 Auction in Abu Dhabi has witnessed a big surprise when Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) decided to spend a huge ₹8.6 crore on Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis despite him already making it clear that he will be available partially for the next season.

Just like his former IPL franchise Punjab Kings (PBSK), the Lucknow Super Giants were already aware that Inglis would be available for only four matches in IPL 2026. Still, the franchise spent a whopping ₹8.6 crore on the Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis at the auction earlier this week.

AB de Villiers shocked as LSG spend ₹8.6 Crore on Josh Inglis despite 4-match availability

Actually, Josh Inglis is getting married in April 2026 and then will spend some time relaxing and recuperating, so he will miss most of the next IPL season. Given that, the PBKS had released the Australian star ahead of the auction, but LSG stunned everyone with their move.

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Recently, the legendary South African batter AB de Villiers questioned Lucknow Super Giants’ decision and wondered why they had invested such a big amount in a player with such limited availability in the upcoming IPL 2026. He felt the price paid was extremely high, especially when the team knew in advance that Josh Inglis would play only a handful of games.

Shockingly, players like Jonny Bairstow and Devon Conway went unsold at the IPL 2026 Auction, despite being fully available for the entire season. And the former South African captain felt they could have offered more value and continuity to LSG over a long tournament.

Craziest signing I have ever seen in my life: AB de Villiers mocks LSG

AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel, “Josh Inglis, this is the craziest signing I have ever seen in my life. He is only going to be available for four matches. LSG signs him for 8.6 crores. I don't know; is he really worth that much? Then you look at guys who were unsold, like Jonny Bairstow and Devon Conway; all of them would be available for the entire season and possibly a better signing for LSG.”

Interestingly, Josh Inglis was not picked in the first round of the auction. But in the second round, the Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad were involved in an intense bidding war, pushing his price up rapidly before Sanjiv Goenka’s team finally snapped up the Australian star.

They went after Inglis because of his last season’s strong performance for the Punjab Kings. He amassed 278 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 162.57. His aggressive batting played a key role in helping Punjab Kings reach the final, where they lost the trophy to the RCB.

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AB de Villiers impressed as CSK go all-in on youth at IPL 2026 Auction

Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) surprised many by spending big on uncapped players after failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in successive seasons. Uttar Pradesh all-rounder Prashant Veer and Rajasthan wicketkeeper Kartik Sharma were their biggest buys, with the franchise paying ₹14.2 crore each at the IPL 2026 Auction in Abu Dhabi.

Apart from the capped stars, CSK also brought young Indian stars like Rahul Chahar, Sarfaraz Khan, and uncapped all-rounder Aman Khan. Last year, the franchise brought in youngsters Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, and Dewald Brevis, which shows they are preparing for the next generation. And the legendary Proteas batter hailed their decision.

De Villiers signed off by saying, “CSK went big on youth. They are rebuilding. Kartik Sharma comes in as a good signing for whenever MS decides to move on. Obviously, we have Samson there now. But Kartik is a good buy. Remember midway through the season last year they got hold of guys like Urvil, Brevis, and Mhatre, already thinking about the future.”