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The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is to start from March 28. The first match of the season will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Before the opening match of IPL 2026, both the teams have suffered a huge blow. Australian fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will not be able to play in this match.

Australia’s Test and ODI captain Cummins also captains SRH in the IPL. Hazlewood is the leader of RCB’s pace attack. Due to injury, both these legends may remain out of not only the opening match but also the first few matches of the tournament. He has not yet received approval from Cricket Australia’s medical team to play IPL.

Cummins-Hazelwood’s ongoing rehab

Along with being out of the Ashes series, Hazlewood was also not able to play in the T20 World Cup 2026. Whereas Cummins played only one match of the 5-match Ashes series. He was also out of the T20 World Cup. According to the report of Hindustan Times, the rehabilitation of both the star players is currently going on.

A source told this website, ‘Not much has changed since last week. Physio’s approval is still awaited. Rehab is going on. Hazlewood and Cummins will not be available in time for the first few matches. It is expected that he will play some matches in the later part of the tournament. Everything depends on approval. As soon as approval is received, they will leave for India. Hazlewood last played the match in November 2025. Whereas Cummins entered the field in December 2025.

Who will replace?

Hazlewood played an important role in RCB winning the title last season. In their absence, New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy or Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara will lead RCB’s pace attack. Whereas in SRH, Cummins can be replaced by England’s Brydon Carse or Sri Lanka’s Ehsan Malinga.