IPL: No-show of Australia’s famed pace trio a sore point in first week

A week into IPL 2026, the annual cricketing showpiece has seen the odd bright sparks – but there is a big question mark whether it has been able to grab the eyeballs over the global turmoil caused by the US-Iran stand-off. If the Operation Sindoor had cast a shadow over the final stages of the league last year, the league is having to contend with a bigger distraction this time.

If the opening weekend was dominated by the evergreen chasemaster Virat Kohli and a leaner and fitter Rohit Sharma, there have been a few other striking silver linings. Sameer Rizvi, a 22-year-old from Uttar Pradesh was consistency personified to give Delhi Capitals two back-to-back wins, Australia’s Cooper Connolly showed he could be a sought-after name down the line while the 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi continues to remain a headline act.

Just as when it looked that most teams are fighting a resource crunch in terms of senior fast bowling resources, India’s very own Mohammed Shami showed he still has the wherewithal to rattle the best in business in this format. His figures of 4-0-9-2 for his new team Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday, which helped them pip Sunrisers Hyderabad in a day game, won the veteran  a Player of the Match and hopefully sent a message to Ajit Agarkar & Co.

What has, however, left a bitter taste in the mouth is the lack of transparency over the appearance of the Big Three from Australia – Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood for Delhi Capitals, SRH and Royal Challengers Bangalore, respectively.

Starc, although expected to join the Delhi Capitals later this season, recently said he is “currently managing a shoulder and elbow injury”. His statement on social media said that he “didn’t know the extent (of the injury) during the Australian summer” and has reportedly issued an apology to DC after questions over his commitment flew in thick and fast.

The left-arm quick, bought for over Rs 11 crore by DC ahead of IPL 2025, is currently ‘rehabbing.’ Josh Hazlewood, Starc’s partner-in-crime for years, has already missed out on the first matches for defending champions RCB as his recovery from a combination of hamstring and Achilles issues is taking a bit longer. Hazlewood, who played such a key role in his team ending their search for an elusive crown last year, had already sidelined himself from the field during the Ashes.

Sunrisers, who raised hopes for a second IPL crown in 2024 under Cummins’ captaincy, had been suffering on the pace bowling front with the likes of Jaydev Unadkat and Nitish Kumar Reddy not being able to contain things. The Aussie red ball captain, who has been bowling at the team nets but is yet to play a match, has now flown back Down Under for a green signal from Cricket Australia for a scan of his troubled back – making the legendary Sunil Gavaskar question their commitment levels vis-à-vis IPL despite the fat pay cheques.    

Meanwhile, the unavailability of the uber expensive Cameron Green as a bowler so far has been making life difficult for the Kolkata Knight Riders – who have lost both their first two matches. The freak injuries of Harshit Rana and Akashdeep,  who would have added the much-needed zing to the bowling attack, forced the management to blood young left arm pacer Saurabh Dubey as replacement as they look for their first win against a well-balanced Punjab Kings at the Eden on Monday.

Meanwhile, CSK have been looking out of sorts despite Sanju Samson’s induction early in the season. The calming influence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni had been missing as the veteran is with a calf strain while Australian allrounder Nathan Ellis is also ruled out with a serious injury. The yellow shirts’ bowling woes are also here to stay – much in evidence in the manner RCB walloped a 250-run total on Sunday night.