Four of Australia’s best white-ball fast bowlers are set to miss the start of the Indian Premier League season as they continue recovering from injury setbacks.
CODE Sports first reported that Cummins and Hazlewood, both marquee signings for their respective franchises, were unlikely for the early stages of the Indian T20 tournament due to achilles tendon and back injuries respectively.
Hazlewood has not played any professional cricket since he damaged his hamstring during November’s Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Victoria at the SCG, missing the entire Ashes campaign and last month’s T20 World Cup in the subcontinent.
Meanwhile, the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide remains the only competitive match Cummins has played since August last year. Indian wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan is expected to lead the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Cummins’ absence.
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Cricket.com.au later reported that speedster Mitchell Starc will miss the start of the IPL due to workload management, while Tasmanian seamer Nathan Ellis has reaggravated a hamstring injury. He could miss the entirety of the T20 tournament, with Cricbuzz reporting the Chennai Super Kings are looking for a replacement.
There are 16 Australians participating in this year’s IPL, collectively earning AU$21.7 million for their involvement in the glamorous tournament.
The 19th edition of the IPL commences on March 28.
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CAMERON GREEN (Kolkata Knight Riders)
25.2 crore, AU$4.17 million
Green became the highest-paid international player in IPL history after sparking a three-way bidding war during December’s Auction.
The West Australian, who missed last year’s tournament due to injury, had a summer to forget with the bat, averaging 24.42 during the Ashes and 8.00 during the T20 World Cup.
PAT CUMMINS (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
18 crore, AU$3.67 million
Cummins led the Sunrisers to the IPL decider in 2024, but the Hyderabad-based franchise failed to qualify for the finals last year.
The Australian superstar is expected to miss the start of this year’s IPL due to a back injury that has plagued him since August last year, with Indian wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan set to the team in his absence.
TRAVIS HEAD (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
14 crore, AU$2.5 million
Head forms a dangerous opening partnership alongside Indian superstar Abhishek Sharma at the Sunrisers, with the duo dominating the IPL in 2024.
The South Australian enters the IPL fresh off a phenomenal home Ashes series, where he cracked 629 runs across five matches against England, but he couldn’t prevent Australia’s early elimination from the recent T20 World Cup.
JOSH HAZLEWOOD (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
12.5 crore, AU$2.29 million
Hazlewood, one of the best T20 bowlers in the world, will be sorely missed by the Royal Challengers as he continues his recovery from an achilles issue.
The New South Welshman was the IPL’s third-leading wicket-taker last season, helping the Bengaluru-based franchise win their maiden title.
MITCHELL STARC (Delhi Capitals)
11.75 crore, AU$2.15 million
Fresh off a well-earned break following a busy home summer, Starc will lead the Capitals’ bowling attack this season.
The left-armed speedster, who claimed 14 wickets during last year’s IPL, will be accompanied by South Africa’s Lungisani Ngidi and Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera.
Mitchell Starc of Delhi Capitals. Photo by Surjeet Yadav/MB Media/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
MARCUS STOINIS (Punjab Kings)
11 crore, AU$2 million
Now a T20 veteran, Stoinis is expected to play an integral role in Punjab’s starting XI, serving as a potential match-winner with bat and ball.
The 36-year-old has retired from ODIs and parted ways with Western Australia so he can focus on the game’s shortest format, playing multiple T20 leagues every year.
JOSH INGLIS (Lucknow Super Giants)
8.6 crore, AU$1.4 million
Inglis, who is set to get married in April, will miss part of the IPL due to wedding commitments.
It comes after Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia has accused the West Australian wicketkeeper of unprofessional behaviour in December last year, claiming he only communicated his IPL availability “45 minutes before the deadline”.
With captain Rishabh Pant expected to don the gloves, Inglis would most likely be picked as a specialist batter for the Super Giants.
BEN DWARSHUIS (Punjab Kings)
4.4 crore, AU$729,000
Dwarshuis was picked up by the Kings XI Punjab in 2018 and signed as a replacement player for the Delhi Capitals in 2021, but the Sydney Sixers all-rounder is still waiting for an IPL debut.
The left-armed quick, the second-leading wicket-taker in Big Bash League history, enjoyed a breakout year in the national white-ball side in 2025, but failed to snare a wicket during the recent T20 World Cup campaign.
He may struggling to crack into Punjab’s starting XI with Indian quick Arshdeep Singh already in the squad.
MITCHELL MARSH (Lucknow Super Giants)
3.4 crore, AU$620,000
Marsh enjoyed the benefits of the IPL’s Impact Player rule last season, rarely needed in the field while opening the batting for the Super Giants.
The West Australian was the Lucknow-based franchise’s leading run-scorer in 2025 with 48.23 runs at 48.23 at an impressive strike rate of 163.70.
COOPER CONNOLLY (Punjab Kings)
3 crore, AU$497,000
Connolly’s meteoric rise continues, with the West Australian young gun preparing for his maiden IPL campaign having already made his national debut in all three formats.
However, the 22-year-old’s recent white-ball form has been woeful, averaging 4.90 since the start of the year, including a mediocre T20 World Cup campaign.
JACK EDWARDS (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
3 crore, AU$497,000
Arguably the biggest surprise from this summer’s IPL Auction, Edwards had no international experience under his belt when he was picked up, although he has since played a T20I against Pakistan.
The NSW Blues captain has proven an effective weapon with the new ball during the Powerplay, while he’s a damaging middle-order slugger.
The 25-year-old missed the final couple of rounds of the Sheffield Shield due to a hamstring complaint, putting him under an injury cloud ahead of his maiden IPL campaign.
MITCHELL OWEN (Punjab Kings)
3 crore, AU$497,000
Owen was called up as a replacing player during last season’s IPL, taking over superstar Glenn Maxwell’s spot in the Kings squad. He played one match for the Punjab-based franchise in 2025, dismissed for a second-ball duck.
The all-rounder had a forgettable Big Bash campaign with the Hobart Hurricanes this summer, averaging 15.09 across 12 matches.
TIM DAVID (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
3 crore, AU$497,000
David, one of the sport’s most destructive pinch-hitters, has recovered from a hamstring strain that ruled him out of the second half of this summer’s Big Bash.
The 30-year-old enjoyed a superb IPL campaign with the Royal Challengers last year, averaging 62.33 with a blistering strike rate of 185.14.
NATHAN ELLIS (Chennai Super Kings)
2 crore, AU$365,000
The crafty Ellis would have hoped to get more opportunities in the IPL this year, having only played one match for the Super Kings last season, but the latest hamstring setback may be enough to rule him out of the tournament.
The Tasmanian seamer has been one of the most consistent bowlers in the Big Bash League across the last few years, but he was far from his best during the recent T20 World Cup, failing to take a wicket in losses against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
MATTHEW SHORT (Chennai Super Kings)
1.5 crore, AU$249,000
Short’s stocks have taken a dip after an underwhelming Big Bash campaign with the Adelaide Strikes, following which he was brutally axed from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad.
The Victorian previously played six matches for the Punjab Kings in 2023, picked as a replacement player, but he’s unlikely to crack into Chennai’s first-choice starting XI.
XAVIER BARTLETT (Punjab Kings)
80 lakh, AU$122,000
Bartlett was retained by the Kings after playing four matches during last season’s IPL, taking two wickets.
He was the Brisbane Heat’s leading wicket-taker of this summer’s Big Bash League, but he couldn’t fill the void left by Josh Hazlewood during the recent T20 World Cup campaign in the subcontinent.