With just 13 days until IPL 2026 begins on March 28, a remarkable injury double-blow has hit the very first match of the season. Both key Australian fast bowlers in the RCB vs SRH opening game — Josh Hazlewood (RCB) and Pat Cummins (SRH) — are under physio care and racing against time to be fit for the curtain-raiser at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
See the full RCB vs SRH Opening Match Preview, the RCB Squad and the SRH Squad.
Josh Hazlewood — RCB’s Title Defence in Jeopardy
Josh Hazlewood’s participation in IPL 2026 remains uncertain as the 35-year-old Australian pacer continues to recover from a double injury setback. He first pulled his right hamstring while playing for New South Wales in November 2025, ruling him out of the Ashes series against England. During rehabilitation, a fresh Achilles tendon injury was discovered — pushing his return further back and ultimately ruling him out of the T20 World Cup 2026, where Australia exited before the Super 8s.
As of March 13, Hazlewood is back in Australia under intensive physio care. A source confirmed to Hindustan Times: “He is still under the physio care, and his participation in the IPL depends on whether he gets the clearance or not. There’s still plenty of time, but it’s a wait-and-watch situation for now.”
This is a major concern for defending champions RCB. Hazlewood was their standout performer in their maiden 2025 title-winning run — taking 22 wickets in 12 matches, the most by any RCB bowler in the tournament. His “hard length” bowling, powerplay wickets and death-over discipline were central to Rajat Patidar’s tactical blueprint. Without him for the opener at Chinnaswamy, RCB’s bowling attack looks significantly thinner.
To compound matters, RCB’s Indian left-arm pacer Yash Dayal — who formed a potent three-pronged attack alongside Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar — is also facing legal issues that make his early-season availability uncertain. RCB do have Nuwan Thushara (Sri Lanka) and Jacob Duffy (New Zealand) as overseas pace alternatives, but neither carries the experience or proven big-game quality of Hazlewood at this level.
Pat Cummins — SRH Opener Under Same Cloud
In an almost identical situation, SRH captain Pat Cummins is also facing a race against time to be fit for the opener. The 33-year-old world-class all-rounder has been battling a back injury that cut short his Ashes participation — he played just one Test — and ruled him out of the T20 World Cup 2026 entirely. Like Hazlewood, Cummins is being closely monitored by Cricket Australia’s medical team and has yet to receive a fitness clearance.
A source confirmed that Cummins’ situation is essentially the same as Hazlewood’s: “Pat’s situation is the same. The physio is also monitoring him.”
The timing is particularly awkward for SRH. Cummins took 16 wickets in 14 innings in IPL 2025 and has been their captain since 2022 — a calm, tactically astute leader in high-pressure situations. His death-over bowling (13 wides in 2025 vs 6 in 2024 is the only real weakness) remains elite. SRH’s new signings — particularly Liam Livingstone (₹13 crore) — were recruited with Cummins’ leadership and mentorship in mind. Without him for Match 1, the burden of captaincy would likely fall to Abhishek Sharma, who has never captained an IPL team.
The Double Impact on the Season Opener
The RCB vs SRH curtain-raiser on March 28 — already the most anticipated opening match in IPL history given the Chinnaswamy comeback and RCB’s title defence — now has an additional layer of intrigue. Both teams could be missing their most important overseas pace bowler in the very same game.
| Player | Team | Injury | Status | IPL 2025 record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Hazlewood | RCB | Hamstring + Achilles | Under physio care, awaiting clearance | 22 wickets in 12 matches |
| Pat Cummins (C) | SRH | Back injury | Under physio care, awaiting clearance | 16 wickets in 14 innings |
Who Steps Up if They Miss the Opener?
For RCB (if Hazlewood misses)
- Nuwan Thushara — Sri Lankan left-arm slinger with a distinctive action; wicket-taker but less consistent than Hazlewood
- Jacob Duffy — New Zealand right-arm seamer; reliable but unproven as a primary IPL spearhead
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar — Veteran who will shoulder more workload; excellent at swinging the new ball but lacks express pace
For SRH (if Cummins misses)
- Brydon Carse — England express pacer; new to IPL but impressed at the T20 WC 2026 for England
- Harshal Patel — Death-over specialist with excellent variations; could handle some of Cummins’ death-over duties
- Jaydev Unadkat — Experienced left-arm seamer; consistent but not the pace threat Cummins provides
- Captaincy: Abhishek Sharma or Heinrich Klaasen could be handed the armband
RCB Hoping Hazlewood Fits for Match 2 vs CSK
Reports suggest RCB are hoping Hazlewood can be cleared and available for their second Phase 1 home game — RCB vs CSK on April 5 at Chinnaswamy — even if he misses the opener. The franchise is in no rush to risk his fitness at 35. In the meantime, they have enough quality in the squad to start the season without him — but the expectation was that Hazlewood would anchor their title defence from day one.
For official updates from Cricket Australia and RCB/SRH, follow iplt20.com. Track both teams’ progress throughout the tournament on the IPL 2026 Points Table and see the full IPL 2026 Phase 1 Schedule.