Will Josh Hazlewood Play For RCB In IPL 2026? Report Claims Aussie Pacer Yet To Get Medical Clearance

IPL 2026: As teams have started gearing up for IPL 2026, the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru still wait for an update on the availability of their star pacer Josh Hazlewood, who has been on the sidelines for a while now due to injury issues. Hazlewood played a major role in helping RCB create history with their first IPL title after a long wait of 18 years.

Having been dealing with hamstring and Achilles tendon injuries, Hazlewood was first ruled out of the Ashes 2025-26 campaign and then also missed out on the T20 World Cup 2026, where Australia eventually crashed out early, not even making it to the Super 8s. Initially, it was expected that Hazlewood would recover in time for the IPL 2026. A report in the Hindustan Times claimed that the senior pacer is still under physio care, and his participation in IPL 2026 will ultimately depend on whether he receives clearance.

ALSO READ: Suryakumar Yadav Reveals Chat With Sanju Samson Before Dropping Him During T20 World Cup 2026

"He is still under the physio care, and his participation in the IPL depends on whether he gets the clearance or not. There's still plenty of time, but it's a wait-and-watch situation for now," a source was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying.

ALSO READ: Sunrisers Leeds Breaks Silence On Abrar Ahmed's Signing In Hundred 2026 Auction Amid Heavy Criticism

Hazlewood was the standout performer for RCB last season, producing impactful efforts in multiple crucial matches. In 12 matches, he returned with 22 wickets. He was the third leading wicket-taker in the tournament after Prasidh Krishna and Noor Ahmad. Notably, the 35-year-old Hazlewood hurt his right hamstring while playing for New South Wales in November and was first ruled out of the first Ashes Test in Perth. He was expected to play a part in the series, but a fresh Achilles injury ruled him out of the entire Ashes.

He went on to miss the entire T20 World Cup 2026 as well, adding more to the concerns in the Australian team's camp that also missed the services of injured pacer Pat Cummins. Australia's Test captain Cummins has also been dealing with injury issues for a while now, and he also remains under the care of the physio. The entire Australian summer saw the workload of Australia's Test and ODI captain managed due to a back injury. He only played the one Ashes Test in Adelaide, and once the series was secured, the team management decided not to risk Cummins for the remaining two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.

The schedule for the first 16 days of IPL 2026 was announced earlier this week, with the tournament opener set for March 28 between RCB and SRHat the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.