The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is now just a couple of weeks away. The official IPL schedule was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 11th March for first 20 days and players around the globe have now started to make their travel to India was the highly anticipated tournament. However, there are two match winners - who are yet to receive clearance from their Cricket board to participate in the IPL 2026. It is also been noted that one of these two players is likely to miss at least one league match for the franchise.
Yes, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are still doubtful for the tournament. Both are currently recovering from their respective injuries. The duo missed the recently concluded T20 World Cup due to injuries. Unfortunately for the latter, as he even missed many games of the Ashes Test vs England earlier in the year because of the ongoing injury.
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Pat Cummins is also the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad and if he misses the tournament fully or briefly, it will be interesting to see who becomes their captain. Whereas, if Josh Hazlewood becomes unavailable, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will surely lose their bowling strength. Hence, both Sunrisers and RCB would be hoping that Cricket Australia get clearance at the earliest to participate in the tournament.
A source privy to developments told, “Josh Hazlewood is still under the physio care, and his participation in the IPL depends on whether he gets the clearance or not. There's still plenty of time, but it's a wait-and-watch situation for now.”
