IPL 2026: Complete List of Injured and Unavailable Players

IPL 2026: Complete List of Injured and Unavailable Players

The 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 (get your jerseys now) is scheduled to kick off on March 28, with reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) facing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. In the lead-up to the tournament, a number of players are expected to miss the opening phase due to injuries and prior commitments.

The packed T20 calendar has taken a toll, with a recent World Cup followed closely by multiple franchise leagues, leaving many players fatigued or sidelined. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the availability concerns each team is facing.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Akash Deep – The latest setback for KKR’s bowling unit, Akash Deep has been ruled out after failing to recover from a lower-back stress injury. Left-arm pacer Saurabh Dubey has been brought in as his replacement.

Harshit Rana – The Indian fast bowler is expected to miss a significant portion, if not all, of the season as he continues rehabilitation following knee surgery.

Matheesha Pathirana – The Sri Lankan speedster will only join the squad around mid-April, as he recovers from a calf injury sustained during the recent T20 World Cup.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Pat Cummins – The SRH skipper is currently dealing with a lumbar stress injury in his back and is likely to return only in the middle phase of the tournament.

Jack Edwards – The Australian allrounder has been ruled out of the entire season due to a foot injury.

Rajasthan Royals

Sam Curran – The England allrounder will miss the whole tournament after picking up a groin injury following his T20 World Cup campaign. Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka has been signed as his replacement after opting out of the PSL.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Josh Hazlewood – The Australian pacer is unavailable for the initial matches as he continues to recover from hamstring and Achilles problems that also kept him out of the recent Ashes series.

Chennai Super Kings

Nathan Ellis – The Australian fast bowler has been ruled out of the entire IPL 2026 after worsening a pre-existing hamstring injury during the domestic One-Day Cup final.

Delhi Capitals

Mitchell Starc – The left-arm quick is expected to join the squad later in the season, with Cricket Australia carefully managing his workload ahead of a demanding international schedule.

Punjab Kings

Lockie Ferguson – While fully fit, Ferguson will miss the early part of IPL 2026 as he has chosen to stay back home to spend time with his family following the birth of his child.

Lucknow Super Giants

Josh Inglis – The Australian wicketkeeper-batter will not be available for the season, as he is set to get married in early April. He remains fit but unavailable due to personal commitments.

Which side are you rooting for in IPL 2026? Comment and tell us. Also, get your favourite IPL team jerseys before the season begins. Get them now.