The Australian pacers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, who are involved in the Indian Premier League with RCB and SRH, respectively, are set to miss the opening phase of the IPL 2026 season.

Even before the start of the 19th edition of the tournament, the injury list continues to grow as several teams face fitness concerns for certain players.

Pat Cummins has been out of international cricket for a long time, having played in the 3rd Ashes Test in December 2025, where he picked three wickets in each innings.

He also missed the T20 World Cup 2026 due to injury concerns and has been working on his fitness. It is believed that Cricket Australia has not given clearance for his return to cricket and might miss the initial stages of the IPL 2026 season.

According to reports, if Cummins miss first few games, Ishan Kishan or Abhishek Sharma could captain the side in the opener match of the IPL 2026 schedule against Bengaluru.

Hyderabad have replacement options in the SRH 2026 squad – England’s Brydon Carse and Sri Lanka’s Ehsan Malinga could step in for Sunrisers Hyderabad’s playing 11.

On the other hand, the Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has also been sidelined by injury in recent months. His last competitive cricket appearance comes from November 2025, and he missed both the Ashes and the T20 World Cup 2026.

If he misses out, New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy or Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara, who are part of the RCB 2026 squad, will be stepping in Bengaluru’s Playing 11.

So far, there has been no official announcement from either of the franchises on the availability of the Australian duo.

However, several players like Harshit Rana (KKR), Matheesha Pathirana (KKR) and Wanindu Hasaranga (LSG) are the other injury concerns ahead of the start of the tournament and might miss a phase of the tournament.

The IPL 2026 is set to kick off on March 28 with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.