Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood doubtful for IPL 2026 start

Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are unlikely to be available for their respective franchises during the opening matches of the Indian Premier League 2026 season, with Cricket Australia closely monitoring the workload of its premier fast bowlers amid a demanding international calendar.

The development means Starc, who represents Delhi Capitals, and Hazlewood of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, have joined an expanding list of Australian players set to miss either part or the entirety of the upcoming tournament.

Earlier, Pat Cummins was ruled out of the initial phase of the competition for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Jack Edwards has been sidelined for the full season. Meanwhile, Nathan Ellis, who is associated with Chennai Super Kings, is also expected to miss out due to a hamstring injury.

Cummins featured in only one Test during the Australian summer owing to a stress-related back injury. That appearance came in the third Ashes Test in December and marked his sole outing in representative cricket since Australia’s tour of the West Indies in July 2025.

Hazlewood, on the other hand, missed the entire Ashes series due to hamstring and Achilles concerns. 

Although he returned briefly for selected white-ball fixtures at home against South Africa and India, as well as during the away series in New Zealand, and also featured in a Sheffield Shield match in November, he has largely remained out of action in recent months.

Starc, meanwhile, played a pivotal role in the Ashes, featuring in all five Tests and earning the Player of the Series award after claiming 31 wickets, leading Australia to a 4-1 triumph. 

He also participated in the latter stages of the Big Bash League season. Having retired from T20 Internationals, Starc was not part of Australia’s squad for the T20 World Cup held in India and Sri Lanka earlier this year, where the team exited in the first round. 

Cummins and Hazlewood were also absent from that tournament.

Looking ahead, Australia are scheduled to play up to 21 Tests between August 2026 and July 2027, further underlining the need for careful workload management.

The IPL 2026 season is set to commence on March 28 and will run until late May.