Australian Players Set to Prioritize IPL Over Pakistan Series

The IPL frequently impacts Pakistan's cricket schedules, as top nations like New Zealand and Australia often field secondary squads.

Australian Players Set to Prioritize IPL Over Pakistan Series

Senior Australian players like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood might choose to play in the IPL over the Pakistan tour. (via India Today)

In Short
  • Several Australian players, including Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, will prioritize IPL commitments over the ODI series in Pakistan.
  • The ODI series against Pakistan is scheduled to start on May 30, but many star players may miss it due to IPL playoffs.
  • Cricket Australia has confirmed that players will be allowed to fulfill their IPL commitments during the Pakistan tour.

Cricket Australia confirmed that several top players, including Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, are expected to miss the upcoming ODI tour of Pakistan. These key stars will prioritize their commitments to the IPL over playing for the national team.

The Kangaroos will be looking to recover after a series of setbacks, including a disastrous T20 World Cup campaign. Australia suffered a shocking defeat against Zimbabwe, which left them unable to progress past the group stages. Prior to that, they had previously been whitewashed by Pakistan in an away T20I series. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in a three-match ODI series, starting May 30.

The series against Pakistan, however, is likely to go ahead without many star players, especially on the visiting side, as its schedule clashes with the final week of the 2026 IPL season. The league stages end on May 24, while the play-offs will run until May 31.

With the Australian squad expected to arrive in Pakistan on May 23, it will eventually mean that players involved in the IPL would miss at least a part of the preparations for the tour or the opening fixtures.

A Cricket Australia official confirmed that the players will be allowed to ‘fulfill their commitments’, adding that the board honors the NOCs granted to players for the full duration of the IPL. Among the players who are expected to miss out, the biggest name is Aussie skipper Pat Cummins, whose SRH is almost certain to book a play-off spot. He will be joined by teammate Travis Head, and RCB’s Josh Hazlewood.

Even Mitchel Starc may choose to withdraw from the Pakistan tour to manage his workload. Australia’s ‘big-three’ bowlers might extend their break by sitting out the white-ball matches of the subsequent Bangladesh tour, to ensure they are prepared for the two Test matches against the same opponents. Conversely, the players whose IPL teams do not make it to the play-offs might conceivably play against Pakistan, including LSG pair Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis, and KKR’s Cameron Green. 

The availability of additional Australian players against Pakistan is uncertain, including PBKS’ Xavier Bartlett, Marcus Stoinis, and Cooper Connolly. Furthermore, if CSK advances to the play-offs, Matthew Short and Spencer Johnson may also be unavailable for the series.

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Dominant SRH oust PBKS from the summit of the IPL table following 33-run victory

The two most free-scoring franchises of IPL 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings, met at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. As usual, it was a run-fest, with both teams going past the 200-run mark in their innings, but SRH triumphed by 33 runs in the end.

SRH vs. PBKS IPL 2026
Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Punjab Kings by 33 runs to move to the top of the IPL table. (via X)

Batting first, SRH raced to a massive total of 235/4 in their 20 overs. The innings got off to an explosive start, with a rapid 54-run opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma (35 runs off 13 balls) and Travis Head (38 runs off 19 balls). Ishan Kishan‘s 55 off 32, Heinrich Klaasen‘s 69 off 43, and Ankit Verma‘s brisk 29 off 13 took the home side to a first innings total that was well above par. 

Punjab was out of the game from the very onset, losing Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer by the 3rd over. Despite Marcus Stoinis and Suryansh Shedge‘s brief knocks, PBKS were never in the chase, as they lost wickets at crucial junctures. Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly, however, played on, recording his first T20 hundred. PBKS could only finish with 202/7, losing the match by 33 runs. 

SRH is now on the brink of clinching a playoff berth, currently sitting on 14 points after 11 matches. PBKS on the other hand, will be desperate to regain momentum following three consecutive losses, and will attempt to do so in their upcoming games.

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