Injury, Workload: IPL 2026 Begins with Major Pace Bowling Void

Barely one week into the Indian Premier League 2026, a lot has been figured.

Virat Kohli will remain an evergreen chasemaster, the Chennai Super Kings are yet to think of life beyond MS Dhoni; a lighter, fitter Rohit Sharma is ready for an explosive season, 22-year-old Cooper Connolly might be a sought-after name down the line, 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi will remain a headline act and Navjot Singh Sidhu’s commentary will never cease to entertain.

But the glitz and glamour papers over a gaping resource crunch – the absence of some prime fast bowlers. Some of them are nursing injuries, some are managing their workload, some are engaged with personal commitments.

Mitchell Starc is the most striking absentee of them all.

Starc --- although expected to join the Delhi Capitals later this season --- had recently said he is “currently managing a shoulder and elbow injury”. According to his statement, he “didn’t know the extent (of the injury) during the Australian summer.” He has reportedly issued an apology to DC after questions over his commitment flew in thick and fast.

The left-arm quick, bought for over Rs 11 crore by DC ahead of IPL 2025, is currently “rehabbing”.

Injury and rehab specialist Larson KS -- who has worked with sportspersons across spectrums -- believes Starc has an explosive bowling action with extreme shoulder rotation. "More than coming back to the field, he must be concerned about maintaining his pace and swing without stressing the joint again. Around 25% of fast bowlers suffer from shoulder issues at some stage. It is more common in high-speed bowlers and those with flawed biomechanics."

So what is Larson's – also a strength and conditioning coach -- approach when a bowler approaches him for such complications? “I usually focus on rotator cuff strengthening, scapular stability and controlled mobility, along with progressive resistance training,” he said.

A vacuum in KKR dugout

Now, the spotlight falls on KKR duo Harshit Rana and Akashdeep, who would have added the much-needed zing to the bowling attack. A lower back stress injury ruled Akashdeep out, prompting the KKR management to bring in left-arm pacer Saurabh Dubey as replacement. And for Rana, things look far more uncertain. He is expected to miss the entire season due to a knee ligament strain. According to reports, Rana underwent surgery in February 2026 and is under “extensive rehabilitation”. Rana suffered a knee ligament strain during a warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai before the T20 World Cup.

“Rana is a mainstay KKR bowler in my opinion. Akashdeep would also have had looked forward to wearing KKR colours. He did well at the international level recently,” said Larson.

But how do fast bowlers recover from such injuries? Larson stresses on proper biomechanics correction, progressive strengthening and recovery protocols. “With that, fast bowlers can not only recover from injuries but also build long-term resilience and sustain peak performance at the highest level,” he added.

Who will stabilise the Chennai Super Kings ship?

As if CSK didn’t have a depleted team already. Amid MS Dhoni’s absence due to a calf strain and an emotional transfer of Ravindra Jadeja to the Rajasthan Royals, Nathan Ellis’s injury probably didn’t become a subject of vehement discussion. The 31-year-old aggravated an old hamstring injury during the Australian One-Day Cup in March and will reportedly require three months to return. Looks like CSK’s bowling woes are here to stay.

RR won’t just miss Sanju Samson. They’ll miss Sam Curran, too.

Curran, who last played on March 5 in the 2026 T20 World Cup semi-final versus India, will miss the entire IPL 2026 season due to a suspected groin issue. The 27-year-old was poised for a fresh chapter in his IPL journey, all set to wear RR colours. In a significant reshuffle, CSK transferred Curran and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to Rajasthan.

How’s the Josh for title defenders RCB?

Australian quick Josh Hazlewood will miss the opening matches as his recovery from a combination of hamstring and Achilles issues is taking a bit longer. Yet to regain full fitness, he had already sidelined himself from the field during the Ashes.

"Hazlewood is known for his immaculate line and length. If I have to condition someone like Hazlewood, I would focus on a structured core-focused rehabilitation strategy. My approach would include the McGill Big 3, glute strengthening and strict workload monitoring while minimizing spinal stress," said Larson.

Sharing an update on Hazlewood last week, RCB director of cricket Mo Bobat had said, “So, as most people would know, Josh has missed quite a bit of cricket recently with injuries. So he's currently working through a return to play programme. He's doing that in Australia currently. We are liaising very closely with both Josh and Cricket Australia. And our medical teams are collaborating very strongly on a day-to-day basis on this programme.”

Lockie spends time with baby

The Punjab Kings already have an experienced battery of pacers, with Arshdeep Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar and Marco Jansen delivering the goods so far. But the Lockie Ferguson’s sheer pace would have given PBKS some more edge. But his absence is not injury-related. Ferguson, a new dad, has chosen family over cricket. The Kiwi quick might join the PBKS dugout in the latter half of the tournament.

“Just had a wee son, trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help the wife out,” Ferguson was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo before the third T20I against South Africa. “I'll have a few weeks off after this, before sort of heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter,” he added in his statement to the cricket news website.