IPL 2026: From Harshit Rana to Josh Hazlewood, players set to miss this year's tournament

The countdown to IPL 2026 has begun, with the season opener scheduled for March 28 at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Sunrisers Hyderabad. But even before the first ball is bowled, several franchises are grappling with a familiar headache—injuries and player unavailability.

Coming on the heels of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, a number of players are still in recovery mode, while others are awaiting fitness clearances or dealing with personal commitments. The result: teams are being forced to tweak combinations and rethink strategies right at the start of the tournament.

Here’s a list of players who will either miss the initial phase or the entire season:

• Harshit Rana (KKR): The young pacer has been ruled out of IPL 2026 due to a knee injury. He had also missed the T20 World Cup after getting injured in a warm-up fixture.
• Akash Deep (KKR): Sidelined with a lower back stress injury, the fast bowler will not feature this season. Kolkata have brought in Saurabh Dubey as a replacement.
• Matheesha Pathirana (KKR): The Sri Lankan speedster is still awaiting clearance from his board after a shoulder injury cut short his World Cup campaign.
• Pat Cummins (SRH): The Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper is recovering from a lumbar stress issue and is likely to sit out the opening matches, with Ishan Kishan stepping in as stand-in captain.
• Jack Edwards (SRH): A foot injury has ruled the all-rounder out of the entire tournament. SRH have signed David Payne as his replacement.
• Sam Curran (Rajasthan Royals): The England all-rounder will miss the season due to a groin injury. Dasun Shanaka has been named as his replacement.
• Josh Hazlewood (RCB): The Australian pacer is yet to receive clearance after a hamstring injury and is expected to miss the early games.
• Nathan Ellis (CSK): Chennai Super Kings will be without Ellis, who picked up a hamstring injury during a domestic final.
• Mitchell Starc (Delhi Capitals): Cricket Australia is managing his workload, meaning Starc will not be available for the opening matches.
• Lockie Ferguson (Punjab Kings): Despite being fit, Ferguson will miss the early part of the tournament as he stays home following the birth of his child.
• Josh Inglis (Lucknow Super Giants): The wicketkeeper-batter will have limited availability due to his wedding commitments in early April.
• Wanindu Hasaranga (LSG): The Sri Lankan spinner is recovering from a hamstring injury and is awaiting clearance.

With multiple key names unavailable, franchises will have to rely on their bench strength early on. How quickly these players return—and how well teams adapt in their absence—could shape the tone of the season.