Mitchell Starc to Miss IPL Start, Alongside Cummins and Hazlewood
Mitchell Starc is set to miss the start of IPL 2026, joining Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who are also unavailable early in the tournament. Cricket Australia is managing the workload of its three premier fast bowlers ahead of a busy international calendar. The update came on March 20 via cricket.com.au. It follows news that Nathan Ellis has been ruled out of IPL 2026 due to a recurring hamstring injury. The issue dates back to the build-up to the T20 World Cup 2026. Cummins has not played international cricket since December 2025. His last match was against the England national cricket team at the Adelaide Oval. He took three wickets in each innings. He also missed the T20 World Cup due to injury. Since then, he has focused on regaining full fitness. Hazlewood has also been sidelined. His last appearance came in November 2025 for the New South Wales cricket team. He missed both the Ashes and the T20 World Cup. Starc played all five Ashes Tests. He also featured in the latter stages of the Big Bash League for the Sydney Sixers. He skipped the T20 World Cup after retiring from the format. However, he is being carefully managed after bowling one of the highest workloads in Test cricket over the past year, second only to Mohammed Siraj. Cricket Australia is taking a cautious approach. Australia is scheduled to play 21 Tests in 12 months starting in August. This includes tours of South Africa and India, followed by a home Ashes series. The schedule continues with the 2027 ODI World Cup. Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood are expected to play key roles there. Their IPL return will depend on recovery progress in the coming weeks. Sunrisers Hyderabad have named Ishan Kishan as interim captain in Cummins’ absence. Hazlewood’s absence is a setback for Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of their opener against Hyderabad. Starc, representing the Delhi Capitals, will miss their first match against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1.
KKR Boost as Matheesha Pathirana Cleared Fit for IPL 2026
Kolkata Knight Riders have received a timely boost ahead of IPL 2026, with Matheesha Pathirana declared fit by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). SLC secretary Bandula Dissanayake confirmed that the pacer has completed his rehabilitation after suffering a hamstring injury during the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Australia national cricket team, which ruled him out of the remainder of the tournament. “As far as I know, he’s fit, and we have given him NOC to participate in the IPL, that’s all I know at this point in time. He has completed rehab, and he is fit. But the franchise will be tasked to assess his readiness. At the moment, we don’t know anything about that. As far as we know, he is fit and ready to join IPL,” Dissanayake told PTI. Despite the clearance, KKR will take the final call on his inclusion after assessing his readiness. There is no confirmation yet on when Pathirana will join the squad. The team is scheduled to travel to Mumbai on March 25 for their opening match against the Mumbai Indians on March 29. They will then return to Eden Gardens for three consecutive home games against Sunrisers Hyderabad (April 2), Punjab Kings (April 6), and Lucknow Super Giants (April 9). KKR signed Pathirana for ₹18 crore in the IPL 2026 mini-auction as part of a squad rebuild after finishing eighth last season. Since making his debut in 2022 with the Chennai Super Kings, Pathirana has played 32 matches and taken 47 wickets. However, he had a modest last season, picking up 13 wickets in 12 matches with a high economy rate.
FIFA Penalise Israel FA Over Racism Concerns, Leaves Settlement Issue Unresolved
FIFA, the international football governing body, penalised the Israel Football Association (IFA) for the alleged breaches of its anti-discrimination and fair-play rules against the Palestinian Football Association (PFA). PFA has filed an alleged discrimination complaint against the IFA. FIFA has concluded that the Israel Football Association (IFA) violated several of its responsibilities as a member body. The decision followed a complaint raised by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) during the 74th FIFA Congress, which led FIFA’s Council to հանձն the matter over to its Disciplinary Committee for investigation into alleged discrimination. After reviewing the case, the committee found that the IFA did not do enough to address repeated instances of racist conduct by fans of certain clubs—particularly Beitar Jerusalem. It also determined that the association failed to respond adequately to provocative and politically charged remarks made by officials and clubs under its authority. As a result, FIFA imposed a fine of 150,000 Swiss francs (about $190,000) on the IFA. In addition, the association has been instructed to roll out a comprehensive anti-discrimination program. This includes awareness campaigns, monitoring systems, and the requirement to display anti-discrimination messages at its next three home matches in major FIFA competitions. In a separate ruling issued the same day, FIFA dismissed allegations that Israeli clubs were improperly participating in competitions while being based in Palestinian territories. The issue had been examined by FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), which was tasked with assessing whether such clubs should be allowed to compete under the IFA. FIFA ultimately decided not to take action, pointing to the complex and unresolved legal status of the West Bank under international law. According to the organization, this lack of clarity makes it inappropriate to enforce restrictions based on current statutes. The involvement of Israeli clubs located in West Bank settlements has been a longstanding and contentious issue within FIFA. For years, the PFA has argued that these clubs should be excluded from Israeli leagues, as the territory is claimed by Palestinians as part of a future independent state.
