The defending champions RCB, and Sunrisers Hyderabad will both begin their campaigns without their premier Australian fast bowlers as injury clouds refuse to lift ahead of March 28 opener.
With just eleven days to go before the Indian Premier League’s 19th edition kicks off, two of the competition’s most feared pace bowlers — Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins — find themselves watching from the sidelines rather than boarding flights to India. The injury-hit pair, central to their respective franchises’ ambitions, are both racing to prove their fitness before the curtain-raiser between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28.
Hazlewood: A Champion’s Prolonged Absence
For RCB, the news is particularly bitter. Hazlewood is back in Australia receiving intensive physiotherapy for persistent hamstring and Achilles injuries, and has yet to receive medical clearance ahead of the first match. The right-arm seamer is expected to miss the first two IPL 2026 games — the clashes against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings — with his return pencilled in for the match against Rajasthan Royals on April 10 in Guwahati.
Hazlewood’s last competitive appearance came during a Sheffield Shield match for New South Wales in November 2025. What followed was a painful cascade of setbacks: a hamstring injury during rehabilitation led to an Achilles problem being discovered, which ruled him out of the entire Ashes series and ultimately the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The timing is galling for the defending champions. An RCB official, quoted by the Hindustan Times, confirmed that the clearance from physios is still awaited and that Hazlewood is expected to play only a minimal role in the earlier part of the tournament. In his absence, the onus will fall on Bhuvneshwar Kumar to lead the attack alongside Jacob Duffy and Nuwan Thushara.
To understand what RCB stand to miss, one only needs to look at last season’s numbers. Hazlewood has claimed 57 wickets from 39 IPL matches at an average of 20.98, and he was particularly devastating in IPL 2025, claiming 22 wickets from 12 matches at 17.54 — playing a key role in the franchise’s maiden IPL title. He was deployed in critical moments — both at the top with the new ball and during the death overs — and his metronomic control made a decisive difference in close contests.
Cummins: Leadership Vacuum at SRH
The injury headache is not confined to one end of Bengaluru’s opening fixture. Pat Cummins has not played competitive cricket since the third Ashes Test in Adelaide in December 2025, having been sidelined since July 2025 with a lumbar bone stress injury in his lower back. He still needs to clear fitness tests before Cricket Australia gives him the green light to rejoin SRH.
Beyond the bowling void, Cummins’ absence creates a leadership problem. SRH have ultimately gone with Ishan Kishan as interim captain for the early phase of the tournament, with Abhishek Sharma expected to serve as his deputy. The decision was informed by Kishan’s recent domestic captaincy credentials — he led Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title — and his impressive showing at the T20 World Cup 2026, where he finished among the tournament’s top run-scorers.
Cummins’ absence is a significant blow for SRH, depriving them of both their leader and most dependable bowler in what is already considered the side’s most vulnerable department, despite possessing one of the most explosive batting line-ups in the competition. Over the last two IPL seasons, Cummins has taken 34 wickets for the Orange Army — a significant hole in an already thin pace attack.
Cricket Australia’s Long Game
The careful handling of both players reflects a broader strategic calculation from Cricket Australia. With a hectic 16-month international schedule approaching — including Test tours to South Africa, India and England as well as the 2027 ODI World Cup in Africa — the national board has made no secret of its priorities. Selector Tony Dodemaide addressed the matter directly in February, noting that timing was the fundamental issue and affirming the board’s full confidence in both players’ commitment to Australian cricket.
Other key overseas players set to feature in IPL 2026 are also navigating fitness issues. Matheesha Pathirana, bought by KKR for ₹18 crore, is not fully fit and may miss several matches, while Wanindu Hasaranga remains doubtful after a hamstring injury during the T20 World Cup.
What It Means for the Season Opener
The March 28 fixture was billed as a marquee clash between the reigning champions and their high-profile rivals — and potentially a personal duel between two of Australia’s finest pace bowlers. Instead, it will begin without either. Whoever steps up as SRH’s interim captain will attend the IPL 2026 captains and managers’ meet at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 25.
For now, RCB and SRH fans can only hope their respective Australian stars recover swiftly. Both franchises — and indeed the IPL as a spectacle — will be far richer for having them back at full throttle.
