The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced the schedule for Australia’s upcoming ODI tour of Pakistan, with the three-match series set to begin on May 30. The tour will overlap with the IPL 2026 playoffs, which are scheduled to start on May 26.
IPL 2026 | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap
Several Australian ODI regulars are currently featuring in IPL 2026 for different franchises, including captain Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad), opener Travis Head (SRH), fast bowlers Mitchell Starc (Delhi Capitals) and Josh Hazlewood (Royal Challengers Bengaluru), all-rounder Mitchell Marsh (Lucknow Super Giants) among others.
According to the PCB, the Australian team is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on May 23, a day before the IPL
2026 league stage concludes on May 24.
The overlap has raised questions over whether Australian players will leave the IPL midway to join the national squad for the Pakistan series.
However, Australian players will stay back as per SRH source.
“Yes, we have received communication that the Australian players in our squad will stay back for the IPL,” the source told news agency PTI.
Meanwhile, according to Cricbuzz, Cricket Australia has confirmed that players will be allowed to complete their IPL commitments.
“(Players) will still be in the IPL and will complete their commitments,” a CA spokesperson was quoted as saying by the publication.
As per the PCB schedule, the first ODI will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on May 30. The series will then move to Lahore, where the Gaddafi Stadium will host the second and third ODIs on June 2 and June 4, respectively.
All three matches are scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm local time, with the toss taking place at 4:00 pm.
With several leading Australian white-ball players involved in the IPL playoffs, the touring squad could miss some first-choice names. However, players whose franchises fail to qualify for the playoffs may still be available for the opening ODI. That list could include Mitchell Marsh, wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, and Cameron Green.
Meanwhile, Alex Carey, Adam Zampa, and Marnus Labuschagne – all of whom recently featured in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) – are expected to be part of the ODI squad.
Nathan Ellis has resumed bowling after recovering from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the IPL, while Matthew Renshaw is also in contention following an impressive debut ODI series against India last year.
