Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the opening matches of the Indian Premier League 2026 season, according to Daniel Cherny, dealing an early blow to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The Australian pacer is expected to be unavailable for the first three to four matches, including RCB’s March 28 opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Hazlewood is currently recovering from injury in Sydney, and his absence leaves a significant gap in the defending champions’ bowling attack.
Hazlewood’s unavailability becomes even more concerning in the broader context of Australian players missing time. His teammate Pat Cummins is also expected to miss a substantial part of the season, weakening not just RCB but also SRH, where Cummins plays a key leadership role. Both fast bowlers recently missed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, a tournament in which Australia suffered a disappointing group-stage exit.
For RCB, Hazlewood’s absence is particularly damaging given his pivotal role in their 2025 title-winning campaign. He emerged as the team’s leading wicket-taker, claiming 22 wickets in just 12 matches at an impressive average of 17.54 and a strike rate of 12. His ability to deliver breakthroughs in both the powerplay and middle overs made him the backbone of the bowling unit.
Without him, RCB lost not just a frontline pacer, but also control, experience, and reliability in crucial phases of the game, qualities that are difficult to replace. The responsibility will now fall on experienced seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, along with overseas options like Nuwan Thushara, to lead the pace attack in the early stages of the tournament.
At the same time, Hazlewood’s absence presents an opportunity for fringe players. Bowlers such as Jacob Duffy and Thushara now have a chance to step up on a big stage and establish themselves as key contributors.
With key players missing at the start, the opening phase of IPL 2026 will be a significant test of squad depth and adaptability for the defending champions.