"Both bat and ball performing at the same time was always a challenge," Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) global director of cricket Tom Moody said after they finished bottom of the pile in IPL 2026. Many things at the franchise might change now, after successive poor seasons (they had finished at No. 7 in both 2024 and 2025), but the one positive they have at the end of it is Josh Inglis.
Inglis, who wasn't retained by Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the end of last season following differences with the PBKS management - they called him "unprofessional" after he told them very close to the retention deadline that he would be getting married and miss the best part of IPL 2026. LSG didn't mind that. They got him, fielded him in their last five games, and he gave them 266 runs, with three half-centuries, at a strike rate of 186.01.
In an indictment of the performance of the rest of the LSG batters as well as the team's plans, Inglis' aggregate was the third-highest for them all season, behind Mitchell Marsh (563) and Rishabh Pant (312) and higher than Aiden Markram (231 from 11 innings) and Nicholas Pooran (234 from 14). The closest anyone got to his strike rate was Marsh, with 163.18.
"He's so versatile: He's good against slower deliveries, he's good against every length that has been on offer," Ambati Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut. "I just think he's so suited to playing in these subcontinent conditions. He plays brilliantly against spin. He plays the lap shots well. He hits straight down the ground. He has every shot in the book. And also he has a very, very good head on his shoulders.
"His shot selection is superb compared to a few of the other foreign batters we have seen. For example, Finn Allen [of Kolkata Knight Riders]. Finn Allen takes on the new ball, but he's very, very one-dimensional. But Josh Inglis is not one-dimensional. He plays all around the wicket and plays spin brilliantly."
It's easy to believe that there will be changes at LSG before IPL 2027; Moody has already said there will be a "reset" when it comes to Rishabh Pant's captaincy. In fact, Moody said "we'll consider all things" when it comes to the post mortem of the latest season.
"I think there's many, many things you put your finger on," Moody said at the press conference after the loss to PBKS when asked what went wrong for LSG. "I think the early parts of the season, we bowled particularly well. Unfortunately, the first part of the season, or more than half the season, batting didn't click at all. We didn't have the dynamic starts that we were hoping for. Our middle order failed to really contribute and fire."
So a batter striking at 229 in the powerplay could be part of the solution.
"You'd like to think so, yes, especially the way that he's finished off, but you never quite know; you get to next season, there could be a bit of a shuffle again," Mark Boucher said. "But just the way that he's gone about his business and he's really complimented Mitchell Marsh as well.
"There's a smartness to his cricket. He plays all around and he keeps moving the field. He's a difficult guy to bowl to, especially in the powerplay. You bring your guys from behind up, he hits them back over there, and then he's got the power to hit straight over the top as well. So incredibly difficult guy to bowl to especially when he's confident and he's in good form."
With so many underperforming batters in the ranks this season, one would think Inglis - with countrymate Marsh for company - has done enough to warrant a starting spot when LSG get their plans right ahead of the next season.