Nothing much has changed from last week, as both Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are yet to get the official clearance from the Cricket Australia medical staff for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The duo will miss the opening few matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH); however, the two experienced pacers are expected to play some part in the 19th edition of the tournament, which gets underway on March 28 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Sources privy to developments confirmed to Hindustan Times Digital on Tuesday that the rehab phase is underway for the two, and hence there’s no chance of them recovering in time for the tournament opener between RCB and SRH on March 28.
“Nothing much has changed from last week. The clearance is still awaited from the physios. The rehab is going on. Both Hazlewood and Cummins won’t be able to make it in time for the opening few matches,” the source confirmed.
“However, they are expected to play some part in the tournament later on. It all depends on the clearance. As soon as it comes in, they will travel to India,” the source added.
Last week, Hindustan Times Digital reported that both Cummins and Hazlewood’s participation in the T20 tournament would depend on Cricket Australia’s clearance. Now, it has been confirmed that neither Hazlewood nor Cummins will be in action in the opening match of the tournament.
Speaking of Hazlewood, the premier pacer had missed the entire Ashes 2025-26 campaign and then was ruled out of the T20 World Cup. On the other hand, Pat Cummins played just one Test in the Ashes, and once the series was secured in Adelaide, he chose to skip the remaining two matches in Melbourne and Sydney. Cummins was then ruled out of the T20 World Cup as well.
Hazlewood had injured his right hamstring while playing for New South Wales in November, ruling him out of the Ashes opener in Perth. During his recovery period, he suffered a fresh setback, as an Achilles injury ruled him out of the entire Ashes and, subsequently, the T20 World Cup.
On the other hand, Cummins has been managing his back ever since the Test series against the West Indies last year. This saw him missing the four Ashes Tests and then the T20 World Cup.
Who will lead SRH?
Both RCB and SRH will be significantly impacted by Hazlewood and Cummins’ non-availability for the opening few games. The former was RCB’s leading wicket-taker last season, taking 22 wickets in 12 matches. He led the attack, and his performance was the main reason Virat Kohli’s 18-year wait came to an end, and RCB won the title for the first time.
On the other hand, with Cummins unavailable, it remains to be seen who will lead SRH in his absence. Ishan Kishan should be the frontrunner to lead the side, considering how he led Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy win earlier this year, which led to him regaining his place in the India playing XI for the T20 World Cup.
Abhishek Sharma, Henrich Klaasen and Travis Head are also some of the names that can take the mantle of leading the team in Cummins’ absence. However, Kishan remains the frontrunner, going by the recent captaincy record and experience of leading a team.
Speaking of IPL 2026, the tournament will get underway with the match between defending champions RCB and SRH. RCB’s next three games are against Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians while SRH will face Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings after the opening match against RCB.
