After Hazlewood and Cummins, Starc set to miss start of IPL as Ellis ruled out

After Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc is also set to miss the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL), beginning March 28, with Cricket Australia opting for a cautious approach towards its premier fast bowlers ahead of a packed international schedule.

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Cummins has not played competitive cricket since the third Ashes Test in Adelaide in December 2025, after being out of action post the tour of the West Indies due to a lumbar bone stress injury in his lower back.

He was subsequently ruled out of the remaining Ashes matches and the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup due to the same issue.

Hazlewood, meanwhile, was out for the entire Ashes series due to hamstring and Achilles issues. Meanwhile, Starc played all five Ashes Tests and the back-end of the Big Bash League. He is, however, being managed by Cricket Australia after having bowled more balls in Test cricket than any other paceman over the course of the last 12 months.

Cricket Australia is taking a cautious approach with their star multi-format bowlers given that the Test side will play up to 21 matches in a 12-month period, including tours of South Africa, India and England, before defending their ODI World Cup crown in late 2027.