Both Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are grappling with major selection headaches ahead of their IPL 2026 season opener on March 28. A total of four high profile stars have been confirmed to miss the clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, forcing both franchises to dig deep into their bench strength before the first ball has even been bowled.

RCB’s Triple Bowling Blow

The defending champions, RCB, face a daunting challenge as they will be without three of their primary fast bowlers. While Australian spearhead Josh Hazlewood has arrived in Bengaluru, the franchise has officially ruled him out of the opening game due to ongoing fitness concerns.

Furthermore, left arm pacer Yash Dayal is set to miss the entire 2026 season as he manages a complex personal situation. Adding to the woes, Sri Lankan speedster Nuwan Thushara has yet to join the squad. Thushara, a key retention following his ₹1.60 crore signing in 2025, was denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Sri Lankan cricket board after failing a recent fitness test. While he has the opportunity to clear a follow up test, protocol mandates a waiting period of four to five days before he can attempt it again.

SRH Leadership Crisis and Pat Cummins’ Absence

Sunrisers Hyderabad are dealing with an equally significant setback as they take the field without their captain and premier pacer, Pat Cummins. Despite landing in India to join the SRH camp, the Australian legend is still working toward full match fitness.

The outlook for Cummins, who was retained for a staggering Rs18 crore, appears to be a long term concern. The veteran has acknowledged that he is likely to miss the entire first half of the IPL 2026 season. This leaves a massive void in both the leadership hierarchy and the bowling attack for the 2016 champions.

Ishan Kishan to Lead SRH

In the absence of Cummins, Sunrisers Hyderabad have made the bold move to appoint wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan as the temporary captain. While Kishan lacks prior IPL captaincy experience, he was officially named to the role two weeks ago, with world number one T20I batter Abhishek Sharma serving as his deputy.

The decision to elevate Kishan over Sharma was heavily influenced by Kishan’s recent domestic success, where he led Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2025, punctuated by a brilliant century in the final.

Training Ground Buzz and League Context

Despite the injury cloud, the atmosphere at the RCB camp remains electric. Viral footage has emerged of Virat Kohli tonking massive sixes in the nets, while new addition Jitesh Sharma reportedly blasted 81 runs in a practice game. Kohli was also seen turning “throwdown specialist” for an out of form Phil Salt in a gesture that has gone viral on social media.

RCB Squad

Rajat Patidar (C), Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy, Jordan Cox, Nuwan Thushara, Mangesh Yadav, Rasikh Dar Swapnil Singh, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, and Abhinandan Singh

SRH Squad

Pat Cummins (C), Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Liam Livingstone, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, David Payne (replacement for Jack Edwards), Eshan Malinga, Krains Fuletra, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Zeeshan Ansari, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Praful Hinge