The defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), have suffered a major setback just 24 hours before their IPL 2026 season opener. Head coach Andy Flower has confirmed that Australian pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood will miss the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this Saturday.

Fitness and Availability Woes Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Andy Flower revealed that although Hazlewood has joined the squad, he is not yet match-ready following long-standing hamstring and Achilles issues. “Josh won’t be ready for tomorrow. He just got off the plane, and we are monitoring his fitness closely,” Flower stated. The headache doesn’t end there for RCB, as they are also without Yash Dayal (ruled out for the season) and Nuwan Thushara (NOC issues), leaving their pace battery severely depleted.

Trust in Young Indian Talent In the absence of their overseas stars, Andy Flower is banking heavily on domestic talent. He praised the young trio of Mangesh Yadav, Abhinandan Singh, and Rasikh Dar Salam, stating that they are competing for a spot in the XI. Veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead the attack, likely supported by New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy. At a high-scoring venue like Chinnaswamy, the performance of these relatively inexperienced Indian bowlers against the explosive SRH batting lineup will be the key to RCB’s title defense start.