Why did Josh Hazlewood miss RCB vs SRH opening match in IPL 2026?
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RCB retained Josh Hazlewood for IPL 2026.
Indian Premier League 2026 got underway on Saturday, March 28, with the opening game between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The venue of the RCB vs SRH clash is M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Also Read: Why did Pat Cummins miss RCB vs SRH opening match in IPL 2026?
Defending champions RCB have retained Rajat Patidar as their captain for IPL 2026. He led the team to their maiden title last season. SRH will miss the services of captain Pat Cummins in the first half, and Ishan Kishan has been named captain.
RCB captain Patidar won the toss and opted to bowl first in the tournament opener. Pacer Josh Hazlewood is not part of the match. The Australian pacer joined the RCB squad ahead of the tournament but was still absent from the opening game.
Why is Josh Hazlewood absent from RCB’s playing XI vs SRH?
Notably, Hazlewood is undergoing rehabilitation from hamstring and Achilles injuries he sustained in November last year. The right-arm pacer last played international cricket in October 2025.
He did not play a single game during The Ashes 2025-26 and also missed Australia’s entire campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Earlier, RCB coach Andy Flower had informed in the pre-match press conference that Hazlewood won’t be part of the opening game against SRH.
“Hazlewood arrived yesterday. He is looking fit. I did comment to him that he looks even younger than I remember him, so he has enjoyed some good downtime, but he has worked hard to get himself back up to full fitness,” Flower stated.
“It is great to have him here. It is even great to have him here in our dressing room and in the meetings. He would not be ready for tomorrow, because he has just got off the plane and we will be monitoring his fitness very closely and looking forward to him making his entrance into the IPL,” he added.
Last season, Hazlewood played a pivotal role in RCB’s title-winning campaign, clinching 22 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 17.55 and an economy of 8.77, including a four-wicket haul. He finished as the highest wicket-taker for his team and third overall.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.
Is Josh Hazlewood part of RCB’s playing XI vs SRH?
No, Josh Hazlewood is not part of RCB’s playing XI vs SRH.
What is the venue of the RCB vs SRH match of IPL 2026?
The venue of the encounter is M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.