Overview:
A few franchises will be without key players because of injuries. Sam Curran will not play for Rajasthan Royals, Akash Deep and Harshit Rana will miss out for Kolkata Knight Riders, and Matheesha Pathirana is expected to join the three-time champions after a few games.
Former India batter Sunil Gavaskar has asked IPL team owners to enforce stricter rules for overseas players who arrive late for the tournament. With the IPL 2026 set to begin on March 28, some franchises are still unsure when their top international stars will join the squad. Cricket Australia has confirmed that Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins will miss the early part of the season due to workload management.
Hazlewood and Cummins have been recovering from long-term injuries. Hazlewood missed both the Ashes series and the T20 World Cup, while Cummins, Australia’s Test and ODI captain, played only a single match against England and also skipped the T20 World Cup. Starc, who participated in the full Ashes campaign, has not played competitive cricket since January 2026. Cricket Australia is managing his workload carefully ahead of a busy Test calendar featuring Bangladesh, New Zealand, and India.
Gavaskar warned that last-minute arrivals of overseas players could disrupt a franchise’s season. The 1983 World Cup-winning batter emphasised that team owners need to take a firm stand, or players might continue to take advantage.
“Some overseas players tend to take their franchises for granted, being unavailable for reasons other than injuries or personal matters. Team owners often go the extra mile to accommodate them, even covering travel and stay for their families at no cost to these millionaire players. This is part of Indian hospitality, but some players exploit the generosity,” Gavaskar wrote in his Sportstar column.
“We are already hearing about a few players who will be unavailable for different reasons, none of which were communicated before they were bought by the franchise. Unless team owners take a firm stance and bench such players, their chances of winning the title could be affected. All the planning that goes into building a squad capable of success can fall apart when players decide to join whenever they feel like it,” he added.
IPL 2026 will start on March 28 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru clashing with Sunrisers Hyderabad at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“Even the critics will be watching closely, and the evenings leading up to May 31 are set to be unlike anything we have seen before,” Gavaskar wrote.
A few franchises will be without key players because of injuries. Sam Curran will not play for Rajasthan Royals, Akash Deep and Harshit Rana will miss out for Kolkata Knight Riders, and Matheesha Pathirana is expected to join the three-time champions after a few games.