Josh Hazlewood for RCB - (Source: AFP)
The 19th edition of IPL 2026 is less than three weeks away. All ten teams have begun preparing for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have dealt a heavy blow as their seamer Josh Hazlewood’s participation is highly unlikely.
A report from Vishesh Roy of Hindustan Times reported that Josh Hazlewood has still not recovered from his injury. For the unversed, the Australia seamer got injured before Ashes 2026 and even missed the T20 World Cup 2026 for the Baggy Greens.
“An update on Josh Hazlewood. The pacer is still under physio care, his participation in #IPL2026 for@RCBTweets depends on whether he gets the clearance or not. Wait and watch situation for now," read the report.
Josh Hazlewood Faces A Race Against Time For IPL 2026
IPL 2026 begins on March 28 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play the season opener game against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The 35-year-old pulled his hamstring while preparing for the Ashes in Sheffield Shield Trophy, ruling him out of the Ashes 2025-26.
Hazlewood was on course for a quick recovery and was touted to return for T20 World Cup 2026. However, the 35-year-old injured his Achilles that further pushed his return. Josh Hazlewood missed T20 World Cup 2026 and is currently under Cricket Australia's physio care.
Pat Cummins Also Struggling For IPL 2026 Return In Time
Not just Josh Hazlewood, but Pat Cummins is also facing a similar situation as his teammate. Notably, Vishesh tweeted that SRH captain is also under Cricket Australia's physio care and racing against time to be fit in time for IPL 2026 season opener.
Notably, Cummins injured his back before the Ashes and is taking great care of his back focusing on workload management. He only featured in a solitary Ashes game.
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"Same situation with Pat Cummins as well. Both Josh & Pat remain under physio care for now, but not all doom and gloom. Plenty of time still, expected to play a part in #IPL2026," he tweeted.
Why Will SRH and RCB miss Pat Cummins And Josh Hazlewood?
The two blows are big ones for RCB and SRH. For the defending champions, Hazlewood was their star bowler and best performer in the title winning season. The 35-year-old took 22 wickets in 12 innings, with a strike-rate of 12.00.
Hazlewood will be deeply missed by RCB in case he misses IPL 2026 because they lack bowling depth without him. Further, Yash Dayal's participation is also under the scanner.
Pat Cummins, on the other hand, has been struggling with his back issue. He picked up 16 wickets in 14 innings during IPL 2025. Now, SRH will miss him more because for IPL 2026, the Men in Orange have roped in younger talent, whom they were looking to be groomed by Cummins.
At present, both teams now pray for Cummins and Hazlewood to regain full fitness quickly.
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