Starc joins Cummins, Hazlewood in missing early part of IPL 2026

Mitchell Starc is set to miss the start of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), joining fellow Australian pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood on the sidelines as Cricket Australia adopts a cautious approach with its premier fast bowlers ahead of a demanding international schedule. Meanwhile, Australian allrounder Jack Edwards has been ruled out with a foot injury.

Cummins has not played competitive cricket since the third Ashes Test in Adelaide in December 2025 after sustaining a lumbar bone stress injury in his lower back following the tour of the West Indies. The injury ruled him out of the remainder of the The Ashes as well as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

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Hazlewood also missed the entire Ashes series due to hamstring and Achilles problems. Starc, on the other hand, featured in all five Ashes Tests and played towards the latter stages of the Big Bash League season. However, Cricket Australia is carefully managing his workload after he bowled more deliveries in Test cricket than any other fast bowler over the past year.

The governing body is keen to protect its key multi-format bowlers with Australia scheduled to play up to 21 Tests over the next 12 months, including demanding tours of South Africa, India and England before defending their title at the next ICC Cricket World Cup in 2027.

Starc, who represents Delhi Capitals, Hazlewood of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Cummins of Sunrisers Hyderabadare all expected to miss the early part of the tournament, leaving their respective teams short of key pace options. In Cummins’ absence, Ishan Kishan will captain Sunrisers Hyderabad.

According to cricket.com.au, the availability of the three fast bowlers will depend on how they progress through their return-to-play programmes in the coming weeks.

Sunrisers Hyderabad will also be without Edwards after the Australian allrounder suffered a foot injury. The 25-year-old had been signed by the franchise for Rs 3 crore at the last IPL auction and was set to make his debut in the tournament. He was also the only uncapped overseas player to be picked during the 2025 auction.

Sunrisers Hyderabad will feature in the opening match of the IPL 2026 season on March 28 in Bengaluru, where they face defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Ellis ruled out of IPL

Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings have also been dealt a setback, with Australian pacer Nathan Ellis ruled out of the tournament after failing to recover in time from a hamstring injury. The development was confirmed by the franchise’s chief executive K. S. Viswanathan during an event in Chennai on Thursday.

Ellis, who has claimed 19 wickets in 17 IPL appearances, had joined CSK for Rs 2 crore at the 2025 mega auction after spending four seasons with Punjab Kings. The franchise had retained him ahead of the 2026 edition.

The 31-year-old had been in impressive form for Australia over the past year and was expected to play an important role in CSK’s bowling attack after the franchise released key pacer Matheesha Pathirana, who will represent Kolkata Knight Riders this season.

Following Ellis’ withdrawal, CSK’s overseas fast-bowling options now include Matt Henry, Jamie Overton and Zak Foulkes. Their Indian pace resources feature Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh and Mukesh Choudhary. Ellis is understood to have suffered a recurrence of the right hamstring injury he had sustained in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup.

Several Australian players remain part of IPL squads for the 2026 season, including Travis Head, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis and Tim David, among the 16 Australians listed across franchises.

Chennai Super Kings will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Rajasthan Royals on March 30 in Guwahati. They will then host Punjab Kings on April 3 and Delhi Capitals on April 11 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, with an away fixture against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru scheduled in Bengaluru on April 5.

CSK endured a difficult campaign last season, finishing at the bottom of the table in IPL 2025 after managing only four wins from 14 matches and becoming the first team to be eliminated from the playoff race.