Injury, replacement, and availability are the talk of the town before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 commences on March 28. Other than that, the Delhi Capitals (DC) have confirmed one opener, and we have another franchise sale update.
Bumrah injured?
In a concerning development for the Mumbai Indians (MI), Jasprit Bumrah has yet to join the team. Instead, the fast bowler has checked into the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Karnataka. MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene had previously stated that all players would join the squad a week before IPL 2026 starts.
BCCI on player availability
The BCCI has left IPL franchises to their own devices. Amid concerns over the availability of foreign players, the board will let the team decide what they wish to do. Australian players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc aren’t confirmed to feature in IPL 2026 yet.
No replacement for Harshit Rana
KKR won’t name a replacement for Harshit Rana. At least, not yet. The franchise believes there isn’t any like-for-like replacement for Rana. KKR is assessing fast bowlers like Simarjeet Singh, Navdeep Saini, Akash Madhwal, KM Asif, and Sandeep Warrier if things don’t go as planned.
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Delhi Capitals unsure about Starc
DC don’t have an idea when Mitchell Starc will join them. DC head coach Hemang Badani has stated that Cricket Australia hasn’t cleared him yet, and they don’t know when he’ll join the team. Meanwhile, DC captain Axar Patel confirmed that KL Rahul will open the batting in IPL 2026.
New bidder joins RR sale race
Sanjay Govil, owner of the Washington Freedom and co-owner of the Welsh Fire, has shown interest in acquiring the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Earlier, Kal Somani with Rob Walton, Aditya Birla Group with David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures, Capri Global, and Times of India Group were shortlisted. RR recently turned down a $1.7 billion bid as well.
Malinga cleared for IPL 2026
In a lucky break for SRH, Eshan Malinga has been granted an NOC by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to play in IPL. Malinga had sustained a shoulder injury and was ruled out of the T20 World Cup. After clearing a fitness test, he’ll fly to India and join SRH soon.
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