IPL 2026: Huge Setback For RCB? Australian Pacer Josh Hazlewood Faces Fitness Doubt, Participation Unclear

Bengaluru, March 12: The excitement is brewing among the fans as the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is set to begin from March 28. The cricket fans are eagerly waiting for the tournament. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will enter the tournament as the defending champions.

However, their worries does not seem to end just days ahead of the tournament. A worrying news has emerged for the team and its fans that its star bowler Josh Hazlewood has not yet fully recovered from his injury and his participation remains unclear until now.

Injury Caused During ICC T20 WC26

The Australian pacer who suffered injury during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 and was replaced with Steve Smith in the middle of the tournament. There are reports that he has not yet fully recovered from the injury and will have to take clearance from the board after a fitness test to participate in the IPL 2026 season.

Injury Update

A journalist shared a news on social media and said, "An update on Josh Hazlewood. The pacer is still under physio care, his participation in #IPL2026 for @RCBTweets depends on whether he gets the clearance or not. Wait and watch situation for now #RCB."

RCB Vs SRH Season Opener Clash

RCB will be facing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the season opener on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. BCCI on March 11 announced the schedule for the first 20 matches. The complete fixtures will be announced after the state elections dates will be announced by the Election Commission.

RCB Full Squad: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Krunal Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Kanishk Chouhan, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, Vihaan Malhotra, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jordan Cox

IPL 2026 Teams And Their Captains:

1. Chennai Super Kings - Ruturaj Gaikwad

2. Mumbai Indians - Hardik Pandya

3. Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Rajat Patidar

4. Kolkata Knight Riders - Ajinkya Rahane

5. Gujarat Titans - Shubman Gill

6. Rajasthan Royals - Riyan Parag

7. Lucknow Super Giants - Rishabh Pant

8. Sunrisers Hyderabad - Pat Cummins

9. Delhi Capitals - Axar Patel

10. Punjab Kings - Shreyas Iyer

IPL 2026 schedule

28 Mar 2026 (Sat): Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad — Bengaluru

29 Mar 2026 (Sun): Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders — Mumbai

30 Mar 2026 (Mon): Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings — Guwahati

31 Mar 2026 (Tue): Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans — Mullanpur

01 Apr 2026 (Wed): Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals — Lucknow

02 Apr 2026 (Thu): Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad — Kolkata

03 Apr 2026 (Fri): Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings — Chennai

04 Apr 2026 (Sat): Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians — Delhi

04 Apr 2026 (Sat): Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals — Ahmedabad

05 Apr 2026 (Sun): Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants — Hyderabad

05 Apr 2026 (Sun): Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings — Bengaluru

06 Apr 2026 (Mon): Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings — Kolkata

07 Apr 2026 (Tue): Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians — Guwahati

08 Apr 2026 (Wed): Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans — Delhi

09 Apr 2026 (Thu): Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants — Kolkata

10 Apr 2026 (Fri): Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru — Guwahati

11 Apr 2026 (Sat): Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad — Mullanpur

11 Apr 2026 (Sat): Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals — Chennai

12 Apr 2026 (Sun): Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans — Lucknow

12 Apr 2026 (Sun): Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru — Mumbai