Missing XI? From Harshit Rana to Hazlewood, full list of injured and unavailable players in IPL

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season is set to begin on March 28, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) facing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the opening match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.In the lead-up to the season, several teams are dealing with injuries and player unavailability, forcing last-minute changes to their squads. The situation comes soon after the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, with a number of players still recovering and expected to join their teams later.Here is a look at players set to miss either the early part of the season or the entire tournament:Harshit Rana: The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer is recovering from a knee injury and will miss the whole tournament. He had earlier been ruled out of the T20 World Cup after getting injured in a warm-up match against South Africa.Akash Deep: The fast bowler has been ruled out of the season due to a lower back stress injury. KKR have signed Saurabh Dubey as his replacement.Matheesha Pathirana: The KKR bowler is waiting for clearance from the Sri Lanka Cricket after a shoulder injury ended his T20 World Cup campaign early.Pat Cummins: The SRH captain is recovering from a lumbar stress injury and is expected to miss the opening matches. Ishan Kishan will lead the side in his absence.Jack Edwards: The all-rounder has been ruled out of the entire season due to a foot injury. SRH have named David Payne as his replacement.Sam Curran: The Rajasthan Royals all-rounder is out of the tournament with a groin injury sustained after England’s T20 World Cup campaign. Dasun Shanaka has been named as his replacement.Josh Hazlewood: The RCB pacer is awaiting clearance from Cricket Australia after a hamstring injury last November and is expected to miss the early matches.Nathan Ellis: The Chennai Super Kings fast bowler has been ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury in a domestic one-day final.Mitchell Starc: The Delhi Capitals pacer is also awaiting clearance from Cricket Australia, which is managing his workload. He will miss the opening few matches.Lockie Ferguson: The Punjab Kings bowler will miss the early part of the season as he stays home with his family following the birth of his son, despite being fit and currently playing in a T20I series against South Africa.Josh Inglis: The Lucknow Super Giants wicketkeeper-batter will not be fully available due to his wedding in early April. He was bought for Rs 8.6 crore in the auction.Wanindu Hasaranga: The LSG spinner is recovering from a hamstring injury and is awaiting clearance from Sri Lanka Cricket.Ben Duckett: England batter Ben Duckett has pulled out of the Indian Premier League 2026.With multiple players unavailable at the start, teams will need to adjust their plans as the tournament begins.