IPL 2026 starts on 28 March. Five franchises already face significant gaps in their starting elevens. The injury list grew alarmingly long in the weeks before the season opener.
5 teams wrecked by injuries before IPL 2026 starts
KKR suffers the heaviest blow
KKR are the worst-hit franchise. Three players are unavailable at the same time. Harshit Rana misses the entire season after knee surgery. Akash Deep also misses the full tournament due to a lower-back stress injury. Furthermore, Matheesha Pathirana will only be available from mid-April. He sustained a calf strain during the recent T20 World Cup. Losing two frontline Indian pacers and their Sri Lankan strike bowler in one sweep creates an alarming start to their title defence.
Chennai Super Kings lose death-bowling specialist
Nathan Ellis will miss the tournament with a hamstring injury. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed this setback on 19 March. Ellis handled the death-bowling duties for CSK. Spencer Johnson joins as his replacement. This absence disrupts Chennai’s bowling plans before the first ball of IPL 2026.
Sunrisers Hyderabad start without their captain
Pat Cummins will miss the initial matches. He is still recovering from the injury that ruled him out of the T20 World Cup 2026. Ishan Kishan takes over as captain in his absence. Abhishek Sharma will serve as vice-captain. Cummins leads the SRH pace attack and their tactical approach. His absence reshapes the side for their opening IPL 2026 games.
RCB start the season shorthanded
Josh Hazlewood missed the entire Ashes because of hamstring and Achilles issues. He has not fully recovered yet. Consequently, he will miss RCB’s first few matches. The defending champions start their season without their premier pacer. This leaves them exposed at the top of the bowling unit.
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Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings also count the cost
Mitchell Starc will likely join Delhi at some point during the season. Cricket Australia are monitoring his workload ahead of a busy international calendar. Meanwhile, Lockie Ferguson will miss the early stages of IPL 2026 for the Punjab Kings. He is prioritising time at home with his family and newborn son. He might join the team later. Both franchises open their IPL 2026 campaigns without key overseas fast bowlers. Their pace attacks look thinner than planned.
