Australia's star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood Royal Challengers Bangalore will miss the opening round of the Indian Premier League 2026 as Cricket Australia prioritizes the workload of its fast bowlers with the upcoming busy international calendar.
Hazlewood joins Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc in being absent for the early stages of the 2026 season, with Starc still recovering from a groin strain and the latter rested to manage workload. Meanwhile, Nathan Ellis and Jack Edwards have been ruled out of the 2026 season altogether due to a hamstring problem and foot injury respectively.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Hazlewood follows a trend of either missing out or missing out completely in the early stages of the tournament. Notably, the fast bowler was a key part in helping defending champions RCB clinch their maiden title in 2025. The leading bowler took 22 wickets in 12 matches at an impressive average of 17.55. He was the de facto leader of their bowling attack, bowling important overs at all stages of the innings.
Cricket Australia is being cautious with its bowling group as they play 21 Tests over a 12-month period ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, where they will defend their crown. The crucial tours of South Africa, India and England will mean that Australia will need their best fast bowlers if they are to achieve favorable results on these tours.
Hazlewood has suffered from numerous Achilles, ankle and calf problems, with his last appearance coming in the Sheffield Shield for New South Wales in November 2025. His last international appearance was against India in a T20I on October 31, 2025. Hazlewood missed the entirety of the 2025–26 Men's Ashes, which Australia won comfortably with a score of 4–1, and Australia finished with a disappointing group stage exit at the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
For those who are unaware, rcb Start their title defense against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28 as the tournament gets underway with IPL 2026. The Rajat Patidar-led side will hope he is available for the latter stages of the tournament to stake a strong case to retain the prized silverware.
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