IPL 2026 has been plagued by injuries to fast bowlers, with almost every franchise’s first-choice bowlers out of the early stages of the tournament. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore will be without pace themselves. Josh Hazlewood. RCB’s director of cricket, Mo Bobbitt, believes the situation reflects the stress of an increasingly packed cricket calendar.Along with Hazlewood, fellow Australian pacer Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins He is expected to miss the early part of the season, while Nathan Ellis has been ruled out entirely. Mo Bobbit believes the situation is due to the busy cricket schedule, “I guess it’s probably a sign of a busy cricket schedule, isn’t it?,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday (March 24). “Anyone of us who follows cricket knows how challenging it is. Domestically, but also internationally. So it’s not ideal.“It’s not ideal for any of the teams that are losing players at this late stage because it affects your planning. So I have sympathy and empathy for any team going through that. I mean, it’s not easy. I think from my perspective, we just try and get through it. That’s all we can do. We try and communicate very closely with our international medical teams. And with the other building body medical teams. Me and Andy [Flower, Head coach] Most have great relationships with institutions, head coaches or directors. So you just try and keep those lines of communication open so there’s trust,” said Mo Bobbitt. “Josh Hazlewood is a really good example. If we hadn’t had the relationship we had with Cricket Australia last year, we probably wouldn’t have come back to start again like we did. So I’ve always had the mindset that you just try and control as many controllables as possible. Strive for really good relationships and open dialogue. But yes, it’s difficult and I’m sure it’s challenging for teams that have lost players. I don’t have a solution in mind because it’s a busy schedule,” added Bobbitt.
Bobbit opens on Salt’s farm.
Phil Salt is coming off a poor T20 form, ending T20 World Cup 2026 with 130 runs in 8 innings with just one fifty. Although he was instrumental in RCB lifting their maiden IPL trophy last season, scoring 403 runs at a strike rate of 175.98 during that phase which also saw him ranked No. 2 in the ICC T20I rankings.RCB also have the option of turning to compatriot Jacob Bethel, who impressed with 280 runs in the World Cup, including a standout 105 in the semi-final against India at the Wankhede Stadium.“Someone like Phil Salt is still in the top two or three T20 batsmen. [No. 4] in the world,” said Bobbitt. “They also love being with RCB. He enjoys the franchise. He enjoys his partnership with Virat. [Kohli]. He works very well with the likes of Andy and DK. [Dinesh Karthik]. So, they’re doing something pretty cool right now.“And I’m pretty sure we’ll see Phil Salt do his thing at the start of the season. You know, I’m looking forward to seeing him and Virat get out to bat like they did. A few gladiators out, which is always exciting. And they’ll try to put the opposition under pressure. We have a lot of confidence in your team, especially with Phil Salt, we have confidence in our team.”
