With the tournament barely out of the wrapping, several franchises already find themselves rummaging through the physio’s notes rather than the playbook. Below is a quick run-through of who’s sidelined, for how long, and the reasons their medical charts make grim reading. We’ll start with the clubs feeling it most and work our way down.
Kolkata Knight Riders
• Akash Deep – Lower-back stress fracture, confirmed last week. KKR hoped a winter rehab block might do the trick; it hasn’t. He’s out for the season.
• Harshit Rana – Knee surgery in February means, in the words of one back-room staffer, “we’re preparing as though Harshit won’t bowl a ball.”
• Matheesha Pathirana – Calf strain during the T20 World Cup. The Sri Lankan quick is pencilled in for a mid-April return, fitness tests permitting.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
• Pat Cummins – A lumbar stress issue has kept the captain in Sydney. Team doctors say the target is a mid-tournament comeback.
• Jack Edwards – Stress fracture in his left foot. SRH confirmed on Monday he’s out for the entirety of IPL 2026.
Rajasthan Royals
• Sam Curran – Groin complaint picked up in England’s World Cup semi-final. “We’ve taken the long-view,” a Royals spokesperson noted, ruling him out for the campaign.
• Josh Hazlewood – Ongoing hamstring-Achilles double act. He missed the Ashes and will sit out the first fortnight here as well.
Chennai Super Kings
• Nathan Ellis – Re-aggravated an old hamstring pull during the domestic One-Day Cup final. Club physio Tommy Simons says Ellis “won’t rush back and risk a third flare-up.” Earliest return: late April.
Delhi Capitals
• Mitchell Starc – Available later rather than sooner. Cricket Australia are managing his workload ahead of a busy winter. Capitals insiders expect him after the opening four fixtures.
Punjab Kings
• Lockie Ferguson – No injury as such. The New Zealander has elected to spend time with his young family and will miss the opening block of games.
Quick take
The Knight Riders look thinnest in the pace department; three frontline seamers missing before a ball is bowled is no small handicap. Hyderabad lose not only their skipper but also middle-order balance without Edwards, while Rajasthan’s depth is tested again by Curran’s absence. Delhi and Chennai should cope provided Starc and Ellis arrive on schedule. As ever, watch how sides juggle overseas quotas and uncapped locals to plug the gaps—there’ll be chances for fringe quicks craving a proper go.
No franchise enjoys an injury bulletin, but an April start date so close to a T20 World Cup finale was always asking for tight calves and sore backs. The physios now take centre stage, at least until the late arrivals touch down.
