IPL 2026: Full list of injured and unavailable players for Season 19 kickoff

by Devesh Jaganath

image IPL 2026: Full list of injured and unavailable players for Season 19 kickoff
The 2026 Indian Premier League kicks off this weekend with a blockbuster matchup between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Teams are busy with final preparations for the tournament, but some have been forced into late changes owing to player injuries and unavailability. Here’s the full list of absentees for the opening stage of the competition.

Kolkata Knight Riders

While we are still less than four months into 2026, we have already been treated to a feast of cricket action, headlined by the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. As a result, player injuries have started to mount up, and heading into the Indian Premier League, the Kolkata Knight Riders are expected to start the campaign with at least three players sidelined. 

KKR’s injury issues centre around their bowling department, and the latest player to be ruled out for the tournament is Akash Deep, who sustained a lower-back injury and has failed to recover in time for the start of the competition. Saurabh Dubey has been brought in as his replacement. 

Harshit Rana is now likely to miss not only the IPL but the majority of this season after undergoing knee surgery, while Sri Lankan paceman Matheesha Pathirana is still recovering from a calf strain picked up during the T20 World Cup, and will only return to the squad in mid-April. 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

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On to the defending champions, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru - they will be missing fast bowler Josh Hazlewood for the first few matches. The Australian international has been out of action for the last few months and missed the Ashes with a hamstring injury, which he is still recovering from. 

On Tuesday, RCB’s director of cricket, Mo Bobat, put an end to speculation by confirming that Yash Dayal will not play in the IPL this year. The left-arm pace bowler is facing two ongoing legal cases at present, which resulted in him being banned from the Uttar Pradesh T20 League. 

Delhi Capitals

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The Delhi Capitals will have to start their IPL campaign without veteran pacer Mitchell Starc. The Aussie quick is having his workload monitored by Cricket Australia at present, but he is expected to link up with the team at some point during the course of the season. 

Another major blow for the Capitals is the withdrawal of Ben Duckett, who pulled out of the IPL and his deal with DC this year in an attempt to rediscover his Test form and try to work his way back into the England national team after losing his place last year. 

 

Other notable absentees for IPL Season 19 

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The Sunrisers Hyderabad will have to make do without the Aussie duo of Pat Cummins and Jack Edwards. Cummins is still on the road to recovery from a lumbar stress issue but is likely to join the franchise around the midway point, while Edwards is ruled out for the competition with a foot injury. 

England all-rounder Sam Curren’s IPL hopes were dashed when he sustained a groin injury while helping the Poms reach the semi-final of the T20 World Cup. Curren has since been replaced by Dasun Shanaka, who pulled out of the PSL to feature for the Rajasthan Royals this year.

Another Australian fast bowler that has been forced to pull out of this year’s IPL is Nathan Ellis, who aggravated a hamstring injury during the domestic One-Day Cup final. His compatriot, Spencer Johnson, has been called up by the Chennai Super Kings as a replacement. 

The Punjab Kings are set to start their campaign without New Zealand bowler Lockie Ferguson. The Kiwi quick has opted to prioritise spending time at home with his family following the birth of his son. He has said that he will return to the Punjab franchise in April. 

Finally, there is uncertainty around Josh Inglis, who could face sanctions, having accepted a deal from the Lucknow Super Giants for ₹8.6 crore, before revealing that he will not be available for the entire season as he will be getting married in the early weeks of April.