Cricket Australia Rest Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood as IPL 2026 Takes Priority Over Pakistan Tour

Cricket Australia have unveiled a heavily reshaped white-ball squad for the upcoming tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh, with several senior stars prioritising IPL 2026 commitments and red-ball workload management over the ODI series.

Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were all left out of Australia's squads, while a host of IPL-based players will either join late or miss parts of the tour entirely.

The move underlines how the IPL's scheduling clash with the Pakistan series has forced Cricket Australia into selecting a younger, transitional squad filled with emerging names.

IPL playoffs force Cricket Australia into fresh-look squad

The three-match ODI series against Pakistan begins on May 30 - just one day before the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad.

That scheduling overlap meant several Australian players still involved in the IPL playoff race were unavailable for immediate selection.

Pat Cummins and Travis Head remain key figures for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Josh Hazlewood is still involved with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Punjab Kings trio Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis are also expected to remain with their IPL franchises through the knockout stage.

Instead of rushing players back from India, Cricket Australia opted to rest several senior names entirely while promoting younger talent.

Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood shift focus to Tests

Cricket Australia confirmed that Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood will use the break to prepare for the upcoming World Test Championship cycle and Australia's August Test series against Bangladesh.

All three pacers have recently returned from injury concerns during IPL 2026, and the management appears keen to avoid overloading them ahead of a busy red-ball calendar.

The absence of the experienced pace trio leaves Mitchell Marsh as captain for both tours.

Ollie Peake and Liam Scott headline fresh faces

Australia's squad includes several emerging players, headlined by Under-19 World Cup captain Ollie Peake and uncapped all-rounder Liam Scott.

Young batter Joel Davies also earned a maiden T20I call-up for the Bangladesh series.

Selection chairman George Bailey described the tours as an opportunity to broaden Australia's player pool ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The squad still retains a strong core featuring Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Adam Zampa and Marnus Labuschagne, but the overall group is noticeably less experienced than recent Australian touring sides.

IPL stars to join later for Bangladesh leg

While many players will miss the Pakistan ODIs, several IPL stars are expected to rejoin the Australian setup before the Bangladesh series begins in June.

Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis will all travel directly from the IPL once their franchise commitments end.

The delayed arrival particularly highlights how highly Australian players continue to value IPL opportunities, especially during the business end of the tournament.

Glenn Maxwell omitted completely

One of the bigger talking points from the announcement was the complete omission of Glenn Maxwell.

The veteran all-rounder was not included in either the ODI or T20I squads, signalling Australia's increasing focus on younger white-ball options heading into the next ICC cycle.

Australia squads for Pakistan and Bangladesh tours

ODI squad for Pakistan

Mitchell Marsh (captain), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Ollie Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Matthew Short, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa.

ODI squad for Bangladesh

Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Adam Zampa.

T20I squad for Bangladesh

Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa.