Josh Hazlewood is likely to be joined on the late arrivals’ list for the IPL by Pat Cummins.© BCCI
Australin pacer Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the start of the upcoming IPL 2026 season for defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Hazlewood, who took 22 wickets in 12 matches to help RCB win their maiden title in 2025, will miss at least the opening two games for the franchise. According to a report in Cricbuzz, he will be out for RCB’s game against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on the opening day (March 28), as well as the fixture against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 5.
Similarly, Hazlewood’s Australian teammate and SRH captain, Pat Cummins, is also set to miss the first few matches of the season due to a persistent lumbar stress back injury.
“Hazlewood is likely to be joined on the late arrivals’ list for the IPL by fellow Australian fast bowling elite in Pat Cummins, who too is not expected to feature in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s opening few matches, which includes a clash against Hazlewood’s RCB on the opening night of the season on March 28,” the report said.
Both Hazlewood and Cummins missed the recently-concluded T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, with Australia failing to get out of the group stage in their absence. While Cummins played just one game during the Ashes at home against England last year, Hazlewood didn’t feature at all.
Indian cricket team wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan will lead SRH at the start of the season in the absence of Cummins, the franchise confirmed on Wednesday. Abhishek Sharma will deputise Kishan for the first few matches.
Cummins, who suffered a serious injury during the 2025-26 Ashes series, has not not played any cricket since then and the franchise reportedly has no clarity on when the Australia cricketer will be available to play.