RCB face major concern as Josh Hazlewood’s IPL 2026 availability remains uncertain

Royal Challengers Bengaluru could face a big setback ahead of IPL 2026 as doubts remain over Josh Hazlewood’s availability due to ongoing injury concerns.

Josh Hazlewood (Image | Cricket.com.au)

The fans are getting ready for the onset of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 from March 28. The first game will be between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Bengaluru. While RCB are yet to start their training camp, SRH have already started the camp with players joining in from all around the world.

There are many players who are from different countries in both teams and will be playing this season. Among them, RCB's Josh Hazlewood's availability is still in doubt for the upcoming IPL 2026. Reports suggest that Hazlewood has not got the madical clearance yet and is waiting for that before heading for the tournament.

Until he gets the clearance, he won't be able to join the team. Meanwhile, even the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, is also waiting for an inspectation from the BCCI before declaring them eligible to host the matches this season. The stadium was under scrutiny after the infamous victory paradae that happened back in 2025.

Also read: ‘Most pressure on...’: Faf du Plessis’ bold take on star India cricketer ahead of IPL 2026

Pat Cummins availability in IPL 2026 uncertain

Australia's Pat Cummins' availaibility is also uncertain in the tournament since he is suffering from back issues. He is the captain of SRH and has had a solid run in the past few years. However, his individual performance hasn't been upto the mark in the previous season. He picked up 16 wickets in 14 matches last year.

However, the team has done well under him. This season, they will play the opening match against RCB and will look forward to playing well in the tournament. Apart from him, the rest of the players are in form.

Also read: Suryakumar Yadav reveals dressing room conversation after Ahmedabad call in T20 World Cup 2026

SRH full squad: Pat Cummins(C), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Harshal Patel, Kamindu Mendis, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Shivang Kumar, Krainis Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Shivam Mavi.

Share