Australian pace bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are both racing against time to be fit for the start of IPL 2026, with the duo set to miss their respective franchises’ opening fixtures due to ongoing injury concerns, as reported by Code Sports.
Hazlewood, who represents Royal Challengers Bengaluru, is nursing hamstring and Achilles tendon problems. The 35-year-old pacer has been out of competitive cricket for close to five months his last appearance coming in a Sheffield Shield game for New South Wales and is anticipated to sit out at least RCB’s first two matches of the season. RCB signed him for INR 12.5 crore at the 2025 auction, and the investment proved well worth it as Hazlewood finished with 22 wickets in 12 matches, playing a key role in helping the franchise claim their maiden IPL title.
Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins is dealing with a back injury and will not be available for SRH’s season opener against RCB on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. With no confirmed timeline for his return, the Hyderabad side may turn to Ishan Kishan or Abhishek Sharma to handle captaincy duties in the early games, with both players having led sides in domestic cricket previously. In his IPL career, Cummins has appeared in 72 matches and taken 79 wickets, including 34 wickets across 30 games over his last two seasons with SRH.
In Hazlewood’s absence, RCB are likely to look to Jacob Duffy or Nuwan Thushara to spearhead their pace attack. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, Brydon Carse or Ehsan Malinga could step in to fill the void left by Cummins in the opening matches.
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