Hazlewood has had a number of frustrating injuries recently, with an Achilles problem causing him to miss all four of the Border-Gavaskar Tests in India
Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the start of the IPL season through injury, according to reports.
The fast bowler is due to join up with Royal Challengers Bangalore, but cricket.com.au say he is not fit enough to feature in the early rounds of the tournament.
Hazlewood has had a number of frustrating injuries recently, with an Achilles problem causing him to miss all four of the Border-Gavaskar Tests in India.
Josh Hazlewood in training [Getty Images]
Hazlewood was picked up by RCB at the 2022 mega auction on a £758,000 deal, but was sent back to Sydney after missing the first two Tests in India and will seek advice from Cricket Australia's medical staff before heading to India for the IPL.
The fast bowler has a big year coming up, with Australia playing the World Test Championship final, the Ashes series in England and the ODI World Cup in October and November.
Hazelwood said: "As fun as T20 is and as lucrative as it is, I find it still plays second fiddle to Test cricket. I've chatted with guys at Cricket Australia, Cricket NSW… to get a plan together. It's probably about short-term loss versus long-term gain a lot of the time.
Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood [Getty Images]
"It might hurt that particular series, or you might not be 100 per cent but in the long term you might be better placed for an Ashes or a home Test summer. Its just about summing up what's right and how much you can do."
RCB may also not be able to start with Glenn Maxwell for the opening game of the tournament, as he continues to recover from a broken leg.
Cricket.com.au reported Maxwell has been doing a lot of work on his strength and conditioning in an attempt to be ready for RCB's first match on Sunday (April 2) against Mumbai Indians.
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