The Australian men's team is about to embark on a gruelling 2026/27 summer, headlined by 21 Tests across four continents. The team is facing the dilemma of skipping the Indian Premier League (IPL) to ensure their Ashes preparation is not jeopardized. The decision could have significant financial implications for the players, with the IPL offering lucrative contracts. The coach, Andrew MacDonald, has full trust in his experienced players to make the right decision.
‘Risk is real’: Frank warning over million-dollar Ashes dilemma... and blunt verdict on struggling GreenNational coach Andrew MacDonald has ‘full trust’ that Australia’s multi-format cricketers will make the tough decision to skip next year’s Indian Premier League if they feel it would jeopardize their Ashes preparation.
The Australian men’s team is about to embark on a gruelling 2026/27 summer, headlined by 21 Tests across four continents, commencing with a two-match series against Bangladesh in August. Watch every match of the 2026 IPL Season EXCLUSIVELY LIVE on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo | New to Kayo? Following October’s Test tour of South Africa, Australia will host New Zealand for four matches before traveling to India before a blockbuster Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign.
Then, after a 150th anniversary Test against England at the MCG, Pat Cummins’ men head to the United Kingdom for an Ashes series and potentially a World Test Championship final at Lord’s. The only break during this frantic 12-month window is from April-May next year, when several of Australia’s high-profile players are expected to participate in the IPL.
During a busy 2023 season, which also included Test tours of India and England, Cummins and Mitchell Starc made the ‘difficult’ decision to skip the IPL due to the packed international schedule, forgoing millions to ensure they were adequately prepared for the UK tour. The sacrifice paid dividends when Australia retained the coveted urn and returned home with the World Test Championship mace; Cummins played all six matches during the winter tour, while Starc was the leading wicket-taker of the Ashes, receiving the Compton-Miller Medal.
Australia’s ageing fast bowlers, including Josh Hazlewood, will be faced with the same dilemma ahead of next year’s IPL, which could conclude just days before the 2027 World Test Championship final. All-rounder Cameron Green, currently on a $4.17 million contract with the Kolkata Knights Riders, could be in a similar boat.
England’s cricketers faced heavy scrutiny last summer for their inadequate preparation ahead of the Ashes campaign, and Australia could also find themselves on the receiving end of similar backlash next year, especially if they start the series poorly. Meanwhile, Hazlewood was sidelined for the 2023 World Test Championship final due to an injury that flared up during his IPL stint; the veteran seamer also missed the entirety of last summer’s Ashes and the recent T20 World Cup campaign due to similar setbacks.
Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland. Picture: SuppliedAsked whether he believed the likes of Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins would be willing to skip the IPL to aid their Ashes preparation, McDonald declared he had ‘full trust’ in his experienced players to make the right decision.
‘It’s something that we’ve done before, so we understand what we’re about to go through. ‘There’ll be some different management strategies. We’ve seen over time how fast bowlers, if we want to talk about them specifically, have made some really good decisions and choices around IPL across the journey because of their appetite and want to play for Australia and perform for Australia.
’ McDonald pointed out that Starc chose to miss the first few matches of this year’s IPL to recover from elbow and shoulder injuries he sustained during the home summer. You look at the decisions around Starcy, he had a late entry into the IPL. He was looking after his body, making sure it was 100 per cent right. He had a few small issues and made the decision to get himself right.
The growing number of franchise leagues across the calendar has created headaches for many Test-playing nations, with Cricket Australia starting to feel the squeeze as players are forced to sacrifice significant earnings for national duties. Several first-choice players are expected to miss this week’s ODI tour of Pakistan due to the IPL finals, including Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis, while Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood are missing the series to manage their workloads.
Last year, it was reported that an IPL team group offered Cummins and Head around $10 million to forgo international duties and take up franchise cricket full-time, which the Australian duo rejected. Meanwhile, England speedster Jofra Archer is set to miss the upcoming Test series opener against New Zealand due to IPL commitments, which would have been unfathomable a generation ago. Head coach Andrew McDonald of Australia talks with Steve Smith.
Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty ImagesMcDonald confessed it would be reckless to ignore the looming threat of T20 cricket.
‘There’s some interesting conversations for administrators worldwide, the ICC and all the boards, but from an Australian point of view, I think Test cricket is healthy. Our players want to play Test cricket
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