New Delhi: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign without pacer Josh Hazlewood, it was confirmed on Tuesday. Hazlewood, who is recovering from an injury, will miss the first few matches for his franchise after already being on the sidelines for more than four month due to various injuries.

The Royal Challengers are set to commence their campaign on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Hazlewood’s absence for the first few games means a big setback for the 2025 champions. RCB bagged their maiden title last season after beating Punjab Kings in the finale.

As per a report in CODE Sports, Hazlewood’s absence will not be for a long period as the Australia pacer is set to miss the first two matches to fully recover from the injuries. The report further suggests that fast bowler will not play IPL games until April 11. Last week, IPL released the schedule for the games up to April 12.

Hazlewood, who missed the recently-concluded T20 World Cup due to injury, is the only dependent pacer in the unit and emerged as the their leading wicket-taker in the previous edition. Another Aussie quick, Pat Cummins, who is the skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad, is also recovering from an injury and the rehab is ongoing for both the fast bowlers.

‘Nothing much has changed from last week. The clearance is still awaited from the physios. The rehab is going on. Both Hazlewood and Cummins won’t be able to make it in time for the opening few matches. However, they are expected to play some part in the tournament later on. It all depends on the clearance. As soon as it comes in, they will travel to India,’ a source said.