The anticipation for IPL 2026 is high, but a slight concern looms for Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans. As teams gear up for the upcoming season, the topic of player fitness has once again taken center stage. RCB, who enter the new season as champions after their maiden triumph in 2025, are currently grappling with a significant dilemma. Their premier fast bowler, Josh Hazlewood, is expected to miss the beginning of the tournament. Hazlewood Likely to Miss First Two Matches According to recent reports by Cricbuzz, Josh Hazlewood is set to miss at least the first two matches of IPL 2026. RCB will be taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings in their opening fixtures of the season, and it's likely that the Australian pacer won't be available for either encounter. The reason behind this is his ongoing fitness concerns. The right-arm pacer is currently struggling with an Achilles niggle and a recurrent hamstring strain. These were the same issues that hampered him during Australia's home season and also forced him out of the T20 World Cup 2026. Currently, he is under the supervision of Cricket Australia's medical team. Until the pacer receives a clean bill of health, he won't be traveling to India and that means RCB will have to kick-off their campaign without one of their key bowling assets. Also Read | Big Blow! Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood Set to Miss Early IPL 2026 Games for SRH and RCB A Major Blow to RCB's Bowling Plans Josh Hazlewood has been a vital cog in RCB's bowling attack over the last few seasons. In fact, he was instrumental in their championship-winning campaign in IPL 2025, where he picked up as many as 22 wickets in just 12 matches at a sensational average of 17.55. His knack of hitting the hard lengths and extracting extra bounce off the pitch is something that troubles batters of all caliber. He is one of the most economical bowlers in the league and the pressure he builds up in the powerplay and death overs can hardly be matched. His absence in the initial stages of the tournament means that the management will have to look to their bench strength and their other options. That might even see them re-think their entire bowling combination and overseas picks for the initial couple of matches. The blow also puts their overseas combination in a fix as each team plans its combination carefully. Losing out on a key overseas pacer could have a negative effect on that balance. Having said all that, RCB will be looking forward to it as a short-term problem. They will focus on getting their main paceman fit for the rest of the campaign instead of rushing him into action before he is fully recovered. For now, RCB fans will have to wait and see when he returns.