The list of injuries before the commencement of IPL 2026 keeps on growing, as now it is being reported by ESPN Cricinfo that experienced Australian fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are likely to miss the initial part of the tournament.
The Injuries
According to a report in ESPN Cricinfo, Cricket Australia (CA) has expressed its concerns regarding the workload of the Australian fast bowlers, taking into account the packed cricketing calendar that the defending ODI World Cup champions have.
The Expierence
Both Hazlewood and Starc are a vital part of the team in Test and ODI format of the game, and their presence is of utmost importance given that Australia are going through a period of transition with a number of young fast bowlers being drafted into the team and their injuries is not a good sign for the Aussies.
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The Timeline
If we talk about both players individually, Hazlewood has been in and out of the Australian team in various formats due to a number of injuries. Hazlewood’s battle with injuries began before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024, as he was ruled out of the major part of the series following a hamstring injury.
Since then, Hazlewood has found it difficult to regain full fitness and had to miss most of the white-ball games that Australia played at home last year and was also ruled out of the Ashes series.
The Addition
Starc, on the other hand, retired from T20I cricket last year in order to focus on Test and ODI cricket and to prolong his international career. Starc played all five Test matches in the Ashes series, which Australia won by a margin of four matches to one, and was the pick of the bowlers between the two teams.
Also Read: Nathan Ellis Expected to be Ruled Out of IPL 2026
The List
Other than Starc and Hazlewood, Australian captain Pat Cummins will miss the initial few matches, with Ishan Kishan taking over as the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Nathan Ellis and Jack Edwards have been ruled out of the entire tournament.