Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are among a group of Australian players who may have to sit out Australia\u2019s three-match ODI tour of Pakistan later this month, with the tour dates overlapping the closing stages of IPL 2026.<\/p>\n
The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the itinerary on Thursday. Australia\u2019s tour gets underway on May 30 in Rawalpindi, followed by the remaining two ODI fixtures in Lahore on June 2 and June 4. The Pakistan matches form the second segment of a white-ball schedule that started earlier with three T20s before the T20 World Cup in January. With the international calendar heavily packed, the ODI leg has been pushed into the May\u2013June window.<\/p>\n
After Pakistan, Australia are scheduled to move straight to Bangladesh for a six-match sequence\u2014three ODIs and three T20Is\u2014beginning on June 9.<\/p>\n
In the domestic calendar, the regular season of IPL 2026 is set to finish on May 24, with the playoffs running from May 26 to May 31. Australia\u2019s ODI squad is expected to depart for Pakistan on May 23, which creates a strong likelihood that players involved in the IPL play-offs will not make the trip. Cummins, Hazlewood, Travis Head, Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett are viewed as almost certain to be unavailable, particularly because Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings occupy the top two positions on the points table. Hazlewood\u2019s Royal Challengers Bengaluru are currently third.<\/p>\n
Starc\u2019s Delhi Capitals are placed seventh, while Cameron Green\u2019s Kolkata Knight Riders sit eighth and could climb higher if results go their way in the closing weeks. ODI vice-captain Mitchell Marsh and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis are more likely to be available, with Lucknow Super Giants nearly out of contention for the play-offs. Matt Short is another name who could feature, with his Chennai Super Kings sitting in sixth place\u2014Short has also been hovering on the edge of Australia\u2019s ODI plans.<\/p>\n
Even if individual selection is possible, it is understood that the Australian management would be reluctant to push Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc into either the Pakistan or Bangladesh assignments unless the selectors and medical team considered it essential for them to keep bowling after returning to the IPL late due to their respective injuries. Still, the argument for leaving them out may strengthen when set against the workload that starts after the summer: a stretch of roughly 20, possibly 21, Tests within a 12-month span, beginning at home against Bangladesh in August.<\/p>\n
Cummins, who leads Australia in ODIs, has played just two white-ball matches since the World Cup triumph in 2023\u2014both appearances coming in November 2024. If he misses the Pakistan and Bangladesh tours, his next ODI outing could be the tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa in September, a route that would line up neatly with a South Africa Test tour in October.<\/p>\n
Head faces a similar situation as Australia\u2019s opening batter across formats. He could be given a rest following the IPL to arrive fresh for the demanding run of cricket ahead. Green, meanwhile, continues to be viewed as part of Australia\u2019s preferred core in all three formats, even amid questions about his current rhythm and role. The selectors may still see value in taking him to Pakistan and Bangladesh, where batting in spinning conditions\u2014though in ODI cricket\u2014could carry useful carryover into next year\u2019s Test tour of India.<\/p>\n
As seen during Australia\u2019s earlier T20 trip to Pakistan before the T20 World Cup, the touring group could lean toward younger players, even though experienced options such as Alex Carey, Adam Zampa and Marnus Labuschagne remain available. Matt Renshaw is also in the mix, having cemented his place in Australia\u2019s white-ball setup through recent form. Nathan Ellis is reported to be back to bowling after recovering from a hamstring tendon injury that ended his participation in the home summer and left him out of the IPL.<\/p>\n
Legspinner Tanveer Sangha, promising Victoria batter Ollie Peake, and two uncapped spin-bowling allrounders\u2014Joel Davies and Nikhil Chaudhary\u2014have travelled to Brisbane to work with Australia\u2019s coaching group this week. Additional training camps are expected to follow before the squad departs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are among a group of Australian players who may have to sit out Australia\u2019s three-match ODI tour of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood doubt for Pakistan ODIs","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026 dates clash with Australia\u2019s Pakistan ODI tour, raising fitness doubts for Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood ahead of Rawalpindi and Lahore matches.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n