IPL 2026 Controversy: Sunil Gavaskar Blasts Foreign Cricketers For Late Arrival, Urges Franchises to ‘Drop Them’ — Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc in Firing Line

Sunil Gavaskar slammed overseas stars for delaying their arrival for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. The former Indian cricketer accused the foreign players of “taking Indian hospitality for granted” as multiple players are set to miss a few games of the season. 

Among the players arriving late for the IPL 2026, the Australian pace trio of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc have grabbed the most attention. Hazlewood was a crucial part of the RCB team that won the title in the previous season, ending a wait of 18 years. Cummins, on the other hand, is Sunrisers Hyderabad’s captain. With him missing the first few games, SRH named Ishan Kishan as the captain of the franchise.

However, it was Starc’s late arrival that pushed Gavaskar to ask the IPL teams to get tougher. Earlier, Aakash Chopra, too, had questioned Cricket Australia for preventing the left-arm pacer from joining the Delhi Capitals camp. 

Sunil Gavaskar slams overseas players

Sunil Gavaskar, while writing in his column for Sportstar, criticised overseas players and accused them of taking the Indian hospitality “for granted”. “There is also the usual taking-the-franchise-for-granted issue with some overseas players, who are not going to be available for non-injury and personal reasons. The owners of the franchises go out of their way to accommodate their players, often paying for families to come and spend time with the players at no cost to the millionaire players, mind you. It’s the Indian way and hospitality, which is often misunderstood as a right by some, who then try to take advantage of the situation,” said Gavaskar.

While talking about the overseas players missing out on the first few games of the season, Gavaskar asked the teams to get tougher and drop these players. The commentator said, “We are already hearing about some players who will not be available for a variety of reasons, none of which were informed before they were selected by the franchise.”

Aakash Chopra goes after Cricket Australia

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra criticized Cricket Australia for preventing Mitchell Starc from joining the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. The left-arm pacer will play for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026. Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Starc are all expected to miss the season’s opening games. Starc participated in every game of the marquee Ashes series in 2025–2026, but Cummins and Hazlewood had been out of action for some time.

In his YouTube video, Aakash said, “If Mitchell Starc is also not going to come at the start, what is Cricket Australia doing? You didn’t let Josh Hazlewood come, Pat Cummins isn’t coming, and now you have held back Mitchell Starc, even though he is absolutely fit. He has already said goodbye to T20Is. So what has he done in the last two months or so?”

Australian pace trio to miss IPL 2026 games

The Australian pace trio of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins will be missing the first few games of the IPL 2026 season. Their absence has already caused a change of plans for their respective franchises. SRH had to name Ishan Kishan as the captain of the team due to Cummins’ absence.

Also Read: IPL 2026: Ishan Kishan Reveals SRH’s 300-Run Plan — Abhishek Sharma And Two Other Batters Named as Key to Achieving Record-Breaking Feat in IPL History