IPL 2026: How soon can Cricket Australia finalize how quickly pacer Josh Hazlewood would be available to represent the Bengaluru-based franchise for the upcoming season of the IPL? Josh Hazlewood has stayed out of competitive action for a long time. He didn't play any of the five-match Ashes Test series last year. He also missed the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
The Australian cricket team will play many Test series, both at home and away, in a year. For example, they have a five-match Test series against India at India's home ground. They will also face Bangladesh, New Zealand, and South Africa. In March next year, they will play a one-off Test match against England, which marks the 150th anniversary of the Ashes series.
They will also play a few white-ball series. That is why Cricket Australia is not taking any risks with the recoveries of players like Hazlewood and Delhi Capitals' Mitchell Starc.
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Mo Bobat, RCB's director of cricket, clarified Hazlewood's status. Last year, Hazlewood took 22 wickets in 12 matches and played a crucial role in RCB's IPL title. Bobat provided a key update on whether Hazlewood will join the team this season, emphasizing that it depends on Cricket Australia's assessment of Hazlewood's recovery and fitness.
"So, as most people would know, Josh has missed quite a bit of cricket recently with injuries. He is currently working through a return-to-play program in Australia. We are liaising very closely with both Josh and Cricket Australia. Our medical teams are collaborating on this program every day," Mo Bopat told reporters.
"We'll continue to communicate with him. As soon as Cricket Australia is happy, he'll come over. We hope to have him with us very soon," he said.
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RCB suffered another blow as fast bowler Yash Dayal won't play this season due to sexual assault allegations. Mo Bopat is not overly concerned, revealing that they have enough players to bolster the squad.
There are some good replacements, though!
"The Yash Dayal situation has been tricky. It has been around for some time now. It is difficult to predict what will happen. We went into our auction planning for the worst-case scenario that he may not be available to us. We have recruited accordingly. We have some excellent domestic fast bowlers in our squad," he added.
"Rasikh, who many of you will know, and Abhinandan had been there last year. We also signed Mangesh in this auction. So domestically, we have three excellent options. It's obviously a blow to lose a player like Yash. He has been important to us for the last couple of years. But we are very confident in the options we have in the squad. We will select a team accordingly," he concluded.