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Australian stars Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will likely miss the start of IPL 2026 due to their respective injuries. The two Aussie seamers are part of the late arrivals for the 19th edition of the lucrative league as they look to make themselves available for the latter stage of the tournament.
Josh Hazlewood’s last professional outing was in October 2025
While Pat Cummins continues to manage his back injury, Hazlewood’s Achilles has been impacting him for a long time. The New South Welshman missed the entire series and last donned the national jersey in October 2025. According to Cricbuzz, the right-arm seamer will miss the first two games for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025. which includes the fixture against the SunRisers Hyderabad on March 28, Sunday. The 35-year-old, who also missed T20 World Cup 2026, was one of the key components to the Royal Challengers breaking their title drought, picking up 22 wickets at 17.54, emerging as the leading wicket-taker of the side. The defending champions are likely to blood Jacob Duffy into their playing XI, with the Kiwi seamer coming into the side for a base price of ₹2 crore.
Meanwhile, Cummins played only the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, captaining Australia to series victory and sat out the T20 World Cup played in India and Sri Lanka. The right-arm speedster played a significant role in SunRisers Hyderabad reaching the final in 2024; however, they failed to reach the playoffs last year. But Australia will need both Cummins and Hazlewood to remain in full fitness by August as they embark on a busy period of Test cricket that will potentially culminate in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in England in 2027. Australia also have an Ashes series scheduled after the WTC decider.
Ishan Kishan or Abhishek Sharma could captain SunRisers Hyderabad instead of Pat Cummins
With Cummins likely to be unavailable for the first few matches, Ishan Kishan or Abhishek Sharma could lead the Orange Army in IPL 2026 in the first few games.
Both Kishan and Abhishek enjoyed a splendid T20 World Cup 2026 edition and will be keen for more success in IPL 2026.
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