RCB Injury Blow Before IPL 2026: Josh Hazlewood and Romario Shepherd Doubtful for SRH Opener

Currently Joey’s out for the foreseeable future due to a leg injury and that remains a big question mark as to whether he’ll be fit in time to play for RCB in their opening instalment of the IPL against the Sunrisers on March 28, which could represent a serious setback for RCB in its efforts to compete for IPL 2026 championship. The last time Josh Hazlewood had played a competitive fixture was during November when he faced off against the NSW Blues during the Sheffield Shield.

Josh Hazlewood was set to suit up for Australia; however his chances of participating in the 2025-26 Ashes series have been jeopardized due to injury. Following this injury not only did he get recalled to the Australia Nationals for men’s T20 World Cup but also get injured five days prior to his first match.

Hazlewood and Romario Shepherd doubtful for RCB ahead of IPL 2026 opener

Not only did this throw his role into an absolute tailspin but without the exceptions of veterans like, Steve Smith, the team went down in spectacular fashion as they were unable to get out of the group stage which is not how any of the Australian players want to be remembered. Joey has sustained injuries to his calf, achilles, and hamstrings over the course of his previous couple of months.

"He is still under physio care, and whether he plays in the IPL depends on getting medical clearance. There’s still time, but for now, it’s a wait-and-watch situation," a source told The Hindustan Times.

Board of Control for Cricket in India released the schedule for the first 20 matches of the Indian Premier League 2026 on March 11. The full schedule will be announced after the Election Commission of India confirms the dates for the state elections.

However, the matches planned in Bengaluru still need approval from the Government of Karnataka’s expert committee. In order to determine whether the stadium is prepared to host IPL games, the committee is expected to inspect it on March 13 and conduct a thorough mock drill of match-day arrangements.

RCB Full Squad for IPL 2026: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, and Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Mangesh Yadav, Jacob Duffy, Satwik Deswal, Jordan Cox, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Vicky Ostwal.

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IPL 2026: KKR suffer huge blow as star pacer Harshit Rana ruled out due to injury This isn't good news for KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) to start IPL 2026.

by K D Mishra March 14, 2026