The who's who of injured and unavailable players for IPL 2026

Heading into IPL 2026, many players have been ruled out of some - or all - of the games because of injuries. This has been an especially hectic year for T20s, with a World Cup concluding just weeks ago, and a bevy of franchise leagues that players in demand rung in the new year with. Here is a comprehensive look at the strained muscles and broken bones that each franchise has to contend with.

Akash Deep - He was the latest of their bowlers to be ruled out of the tournament, owing to a lower-back stress injury he failed to recover from in time. He will be replaced by left-arm quick Saurabh Dubey.

Harshit Rana - The India fast bowler is set to miss a bulk of, if not the entire season, as he recovers from a knee surgery.

Matheesha Pathirana - He will only be available from mid-April, due to a calf strain he picked up during the recent T20 World Cup.

Pat Cummins - SRH's regular captain is recuperating from a lumbar stress issue in his back. He is expected to return midway through the tournament.

Jack Edwards - The Australia allrounder been ruled out of the entire tournament due to a foot injury.

Sam Curran - The England allrounder is also ruled out of the entire season. He is suspected to have picked up a groin issue in the aftermath of his run with England till the semi-final of the T20 World Cup. Dasun Shanaka pulled out of the PSL to replace him.

Josh Hazlewood - The Australia quick will not be with the team for the first few matches either, having been out of action for most of these last few months. He missed the entirety of the Ashes because of hamstring and Achilles issues, which he has still not fully recovered from.

Yash Dayal - The left-arm seamer remains contracted with the team, but will be unavailable for the entire season due to "personal situation he's dealing with."

Nathan Ellis - The Australia fast bowler was ruled out after aggravating an old hamstring injury in the domestic One-Day Cup final. Australia left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson as a replacement.

MS Dhoni - The former CSK captain is "likely to miss the first two weeks" of the season as he is undergoing rehabilitation for a calf strain.

Mitchell Starc - He is likely to link up with the franchise at some point in the season. Cricket Australia is monitoring his workload ahead of what is expected to be a busy international cricket calendar.

Ben Duckett - The England batter has pulled out of his IPL deal with DC in a bid to rediscover his form and save his Test career after a poor Ashes series.

Lockie Ferguson - He will miss the early parts of the tournament after prioritising time at home, which he wants to spend with his family and a newborn son. He is fit otherwise.

Josh Inglis - The Australia wicketkeeper-batter, whom LSG bought for INR 8.6 crore, will not be available for the entire season as he'll be getting married in early April. He's otherwise fit to play.