Summary of this article
Harshit Rana and Adam Milne have been ruled out, forcing early replacements
Cummins, Hazlewood, Pathirana and Hasaranga are doubtful or missing initial games
KKR, SRH, RCB and LSG dealing with key injury setbacks before IPL 2026
Tournaments like IPL rarely begins without a few last-minute headaches, and the upcoming season is no different. Even before the start of the league, multiple teams are already dealing with injury concerns that could shape their early-season plans.
Fast bowlers, once again, are taking the biggest hit. With a packed international calendar leading into the tournament, several key names have either been ruled out or are struggling to regain match fitness. That naturally affects balance, especially for teams heavily dependent on overseas pacers.
Timing is what hurts the most. Injuries so close to the season leave little room to experiment, forcing teams to look at replacement options quickly. Some have already made moves, while others are waiting for final medical updates before deciding.
With that, here’s a day-wise tracker of all major injury updates and replacements ahead of IPL 2026.
Friday, March 13: Harshit Rana injury sets early tone for IPL concerns
The first major setback dates back to early February, when Harshit Rana picked up a knee injury during the T20 World Cup build-up and underwent surgery soon after. At that stage, there were already doubts about his availability for IPL 2026, and it slowly became clear that recovery wouldn’t be straightforward.
And on March 13, Kolkata Knight Riders’ concerns turned into confirmation. Harshit Rana was ruled out of IPL 2026, becoming one of the first players to be officially sidelined for the entire tournament. It immediately left KKR short in their pace department, forcing them to consider replacements.
However, that isn't the only injury concern for the three-time champions as Matheesha Pathirana was still in rehabilitation and hadn’t joined up with his IPL side, raising doubts over his participation in the early part of the season.
Tuesday, March 17: Hazlewood and Cummins set to miss opening phase
Royal Challengers Bengaluru were dealt a blow with Josh Hazlewood unlikely to be available for the first few games due to ongoing fitness issues. The right-arm pacer was confirmed to miss at least the opening matches for RCB.
Sunrisers Hyderabad face a similar situation, with Pat Cummins also expected to miss the opening matches as he continues recovery from a back injury. The star all-rounder was also unlikely to feature in the early games for SRH as he continued recovery.
Both teams now have early-season selection headaches, especially around their overseas combinations.
Tuesday, March 17: LSG hit by multiple injuries; Hasaranga, Mayank Yadav among doubtfuls
Lucknow Super Giants are among the most affected teams. Wanindu Hasaranga is doubtful with a hamstring injury, while Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan are also dealing with fitness concerns.
LSG have already looked at cover options, with Gudakesh Motie brought in as a backup for Hasaranga.
Tuesday, March 17 (later): More names added as injury list grows
SRH's Eshan Malinga was also being monitored. There were also reports of Atharva Ankolekar being ruled out, adding to the growing number of absentees.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals pacer Adam Milne has also been ruled out due to injury, adding another name to the growing list. New Zealand star all-rounder Kyle Jamieson has been named as his replacement.
At this stage, multiple franchises, including KKR, RCB, SRH, and LSG, were dealing with at least one major injury concern.
