India, March 27 -- The pre-tournament injury crisis in the IPL has hit teams hard before the start of the 2026 edition of the tournament, with most franchises missing key players. The big-name injuries have been to the Australian pace trio of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, each of whom battle against time to be deemed fit for their respective teams.

While Cummins has joined his team Sunrisers Hyderabad, being given the go-ahead from Cricket Australia to rehab with the franchise, and Josh Hazlewood is expected to rejoin Royal Challengers Bengaluru later in the tournament, there is less transparency around Starc's participation for Delhi Capitals.

The DC coaching staff but particularly fans have grown frustrated with the...