The cash-rich tournament is slated to get underway on March 28.
The 2026 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) will go ahead as scheduled, with the availability and participation of certain foreign recruits to be determined by the franchises, a league official told news agency IANS.
The cash-rich tournament is slated to get underway on March 28 despite uncertainty regarding some overseas players.
Key players like Matheesha Pathirana (KKR) are set to join late, while Australian stars Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins face potential early-season absences as part of workload management plans.
“It is up to the franchises to decide on the participation of some foreign players who are missing the tournament. Only the injured players are yet to join, while some others are managing workload concerns. That decision will rest with the franchises. The IPL will commence as scheduled and with full fanfare,” IANS quoted an IPL official as saying.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Abhishek Nayar has confirmed that Sri Lankan pacer Pathirana will miss the initial matches and will be available only from mid-April. Similarly, Cummins will also join the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) camp late after recovering from a back injury, with India's World Cup-winner Ishan Kishan named interim captain.
Sri Lanka's Dasun Shanaka is set to join the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as a replacement for Sam Curran, who has been ruled out of the 2026 season due to a groin injury.
Despite various challenges, the BCCI remains confident that the league’s "scale and spectacle" will remain intact.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2026 opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
(With IANS Inputs)