Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been dealt a big blow ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026. According to reports coming in, RCB pacer Josh Hazelwood is set to miss the initial games of the IPL due to injury. Hazelwood was the best bowler for RCB in their successful campaign last year and this is a huge blow to them ahead of the IPL. It is unsure as to how many matches he will miss but it is expected that he will be ruled out of the initial games. The Indian Premier League starts on March 28 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match of the season.
Josh Hazlewood has been out of action since the T20I series against India. He was injured in a domestic game playing for the New South Wales side and subsequently had to miss the Ashes series. He has not been able to play a competitive game since that.
Hazlewood was also named in the Australian squad for the 2026 WT20 but he was ruled even before the tournament started. So it has been a recurring issue for Hazlewood and now he is also likely to miss the initial games of the IPL. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be hopeful that Hazlewood will return to the side at least mid tournament or before as he is a crucial part of that side.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will start their IPL 2026 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match of the IPL. RCB will be hoping that Hazlewood will be able to play some part later in their campaign but it is clear that he will be missing the initial games of the season due to injury. His absence will also mean that RCB will miss a quality New ball bowler and a very reliable bowler across different phases of the game.
