"Craziest signing I have ever seen in my life" - AB de Villiers takes a dig at LSG over ₹8.6 crore purchase at IPL 2026 auction

South Africa legend AB de Villiers took a dig at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for their ₹8.6 crore acquisition at the IPL 2026 auction. LSG roped in Australia wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis for the staggering price.

Notably, Inglis had informed before the auction that he would be available for just four games in IPL 2026. As he is set to get married in April, he will not be available for the entire season. AB de Villiers reckoned that it was a crazy signing despite being aware of his limited availability and questioned if it was worth the high price. He also highlighted that some of the unsold players could have been better picks for LSG.

"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 sign 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, Devon Conway, all of them would be available for the entire season and possibly a better signing for LSG," he said on his YouTube channel.

Inglis had played an important role for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) last season. He scored 278 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 162.57 and helped them reach the final. However, he was released after PBKS learned of his availability issues.

The Australia star was unsold in the first round. However, LSG and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) then fought to acquire his services.

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AB de Villiers believes CSK are rebuilding their side

AB de Villiers also reflected on the buys made by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the IPL 2026 auction. The five-time champions displayed a clear shift in strategy, investing heavily in uncapped Indian stars. They acquired Uttar Pradesh all-rounder Prashant Veer and Rajasthan wicketkeeper Kartik Sharma for a massive ₹14.2 crore each.

They also acquired other young and talented Indian players like Rahul Chahar, Sarfaraz Khan, and uncapped Aman Khan.

"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," AB de Villiers said.

CSK finished last in the IPL 2025 standings. However, towards the second half of the season, they had begun their phase of rebuilding. They got in youngsters Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, and Dewald Brevis as replacements. Moreover, these players were also retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2026 season.

Edited by Rishab Vm