On the instructions of Cricket Australia, the Australian fast bowlers will not participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) immediately.
According to Cricket Australia, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will not be available for the opening matches of the IPL due to recovery and load management, while Neth Ellis is likely to miss the entire event due to a recurrence of a hamstring injury.
It should be noted that Cricket Australia has adopted a cautious strategy regarding its stars as the Test team has to play around 21 matches in 12 months from next August, including important tours of South Africa, India and England, while the 2027 ODI World Cup will also be protected.
Test captain Pete Cummins was only able to play one Test in the Ashes series last season due to a back injury, while Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the entire series due to hamstring problems and both players missed the T20 World Cup.
Although Mitchell Starc played all the matches in the Ashes series, he was not part of the World Cup due to his retirement from T20 international cricket at the end of last year. The 36-year-old Starc is also being carefully managed by the bowling load.
Nathan Ellis, on the other hand, has yet again suffered a hamstring injury, which he suffered before the T20 World Cup, and there are reports that the Chennai Super Kings pacer may be out for the entire IPL and the franchise is looking for a replacement.
It should be noted that the Australian players are part of different teams in the IPL 2026 season, however, the lack of star players might be a challenge for the teams in the initial phase.
