Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) director of cricket Mo Bobat said Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will join the squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 only after receiving full clearance from Cricket Australia. “As most people would know, Josh has missed quite a bit of cricket recently with injuries, so he’s currently working through a return-to-play programme,” Bobat said at a press conference on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
“He’s doing that in Australia. We are liaising with both Josh and Cricket Australia, and our medical teams are collaborating very strongly on a day-to-day basis on his programme,” he added.
Bobat said Hazlewood would travel to India only once Cricket Australia is satisfied with his recovery. “We’ll continue to communicate with them, and as soon as he gets to a point where Cricket Australia are happy, he’ll come over, and we hope to have him with us very soon,” he said.
Hazlewood, who played a key role in RCB’s title-winning campaign in IPL 2025, is currently undergoing a return-to-play programme in Australia after suffering a hamstring injury during the Sheffield Shield in November. He has not played competitive cricket since and also missed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The 35-year-old pacer is expected to miss the opening matches of IPL 2026, with no confirmed timeline for his return.
Despite Hazlewood’s absence and Yash Dayal being ruled out of the season due to personal reasons, Bobat expressed confidence in RCB’s bowling depth. “We have some excellent domestic fast bowlers in our squad. Rasik, Abhinandan, who was with us last year, and Mangesh, whom we signed in the auction, are strong options,” he said.
Defending champions RCB will begin their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
